Generation of Models
by Bird of Dreams
Summary: Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?
1. The Generation of Miracles

**A/N: **Hi everybody! First of all, I just want to give a very big thank you to those of you who have read, favorited, alerted, and/ or reviewed _The Date Plan_. Your support really means a lot to me!

And as promised, here I am back with another fic for the KuroBasu fandom. I must admit, I'm pretty excited to share this story with all of you—I mean, all the members of the GoM are already gorgeous bishies so it makes sense for them to step foot into the modeling word, right? Haha anyways, I hope you all enjoy this AU!

**Summary:** Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 1: The Generation of Miracles**

_The generation of models. Also known as the period of time when the fashion, modeling, and entertainment industry saw the greatest increase of young models. But even in this wake of rising new stars, there were still those that stood far above the rest. Known as the Generation of Miracles, this group of five models quickly rose to the top of the modeling industry through their looks, personalities, and unique 'freshness'. _

_But even as the Generation of Miracles dominated the scene, there was yet another name worth mentioning—a famous photographer who had launched many a model's career with his beautifully taken photos. Known to the public as nothing more than 'Kuro', the name which he signs all his pictures with, he is the mysterious shadow who can best bring out a model's inner light. _

"Kise-kuuuuun! Look over here!"

"Please sign this, Aomine-kun!"

"Midorima-kun! Let me be your lucky item for today!"

"Murasakibara-kun, please take my snacks! I made them with love!"

"Akashi-kun! Akashi-kun! I'm your biggest fan!"

As soon as the members of the Generation of Miracles stepped out of their limousine and onto the red carpet, they were immediately greeted with screams, cheers, and proclamations of love from the surrounding hordes of girls (and quite a few starstruck boys).

The security team instantly lined up alongside the carpet, preventing the fans from breaking through to the famous models. Still, this didn't prevent the frantic fans from screaming at the top of their lungs as the five models made their way down the plush carpet.

Kise looked like he was having the time of his life, exchanging smiles, winks, and waving at all of his adoring fans. Aomine suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the blond model's antics. Quite frankly, fangirls annoyed the hell out of him, but Aomine knew he had to keep up a good image for the public. So he lifted his lips into a smirk and nodded his head in the direction of the screaming girls. At the sight of Aomine's casual gesture, the girls screamed even loud.

Next to Aomine, Midorima let out an annoyed sigh and pushed up his glasses. "My horoscope said that today would be a day of hazardous health to Cancers. So this is what it meant." He said dryly, referring to the girls who were still letting out ear-splitting screams.

"They're not that bad, Mido-chin." Murasakibara said, munching away at the bag of chips he somehow managed to pilfer from the limo. "They always give me snacks to eat."

"Atsushi, don't accept random snacks from your fans." Akashi lectured. He gave a wry smile. "You never know what kind of love potions or whatnot they might have slipped into them."

"Okay, Aka-chin." Murasakibara agreed immediately. "If you say so."

"Tch. I just want get out of this screaming crowd already." Aomine said, dropping his 'model persona'. "Getting attacked by fans like this every single time is getting pretty freakin' annoying."

"Don't be like that, Aominecchi!" Kise pouted. "These are your adoring fans! Show them some love!"

Aomine held up a clenched fist. "I'll show you some..."

"Ryouta, Daiki, we're here." Akashi said, calmly gesturing to the door of the building. At their leader's words, Kise and Aomine immediately stopped quarreling. They threw a nervous glance at the redhead before they quietly followed him into the building.

The five models walked silently down the long hallway, turning a corner before reaching the large double doors at the end of the hall. Aomine yanked open the doors with an annoyed sigh, knowing fully well what to expect once they enter the room.

"What took you so long?" A loud female voice immediately demanded when they stepped inside the room. "All of you are almost behind schedule since you took so long to get here!"

Kise winced. "I'm sorry, Rikocchi!"

"Che. It's not our fault that we can't go anywhere without having deranged fangirls try to rip the clothes off our backs." Aomine grumbled.

"Perhaps you can increase the number of security guards for us next time?" Akashi suggested, though his mismatched eyes clearly said that his words must be obeyed.

Aida Riko rolled her eyes from behind her desk. "Having fans means that your photos are being well-received by the public. This in turn means that your careers as models are successful. So you should be grateful that you have 'deranged fangirls trying to rip the clothes off your backs' as you so eloquently put it, Aomine-kun."

Aomine snorted, but he knew better than to argue with his manager. Aida Riko might be the same age as all of them, but she has proved to be, on many an occasion, more than capable of being the manager for the Generation of Miracles. Even Aomine can begrudgingly admit that the five of them only made it as far as they did in their careers because of Riko's insightful decisions.

"Do you have any sweets, Riko-chin? I'm kinda hungry." Murasakibara interrupted. Riko mumbled something that sounded like, "When are you not?", before reaching into her drawer and pulling out a large bag of individually wrapped chocolates. Murasakibara wasted no time in grabbing the bag, making quick work of the candy.

Midorima pushed his glasses up before saying, "So are you going to tell us the reason why you called us in today?"

"I was just getting there, Midorima-kun." Riko said. She pulled out a file and opened it before explaining the details. "I know that all of you already have numerous job offers lining up, but Seirin Corps is sponsoring a new photoshoot very soon."

Midorima raised an eyebrow. "Seirin Corps? As in the modeling company? The one that has launched countless prominent models to stardom?"

Riko nodded. "Yes, that very one. And I'll have you know, they don't sponsor photoshoots very often. So if you, the Generation of Miracles, manage to successfully pull off this project, your names will go down modeling history."

"Alright, so what are we waiting for? Of course we'll do this project!" Kise said excitedly.

But Akashi knew that there was more to this job offer. "So what's the catch?"

Riko hesitated slightly. "This project revolves around a certain theme and on top of that, it also requires all of you to face what I'm afraid is your weakest area. Here, take a look." She pushed the file towards them. The five of them huddled around the desk for a closer look. After reading through the job description, their moods immediately experienced a 180 degree shift.

"We can't take this job." Akashi said with a note of finality.

"I refuse to do this." Midorima said bluntly.

"Rikocchi! You know that we can't!" Kise exclaimed.

Aomine did not say anything, but his snort of derision was enough to convey his thoughts. Murasakibara also did not say a word, but he began to munch on his candy with more force than was necessary.

Riko smiled wryly. "Well, I'm afraid that all of you will just have to work on facing your weakness because I've already accepted this job offer."

"_What_?" The five models' faces ranged from betrayal to anger to outright shock.

"Would you please repeat what you just said, Riko?" Akashi asked calmly, pulling his scissors out from his jacket all the while. He held them out in front of him. "I don't think I heard you clearly the first time."

Riko slammed her hand on her desk. "Don't you point your scissors at me, Akashi-kun!" She exclaimed, shocking everyone with her daring to stand up against the group leader. "I've already decided on this and my decision is final!"

A tense silence filled the room.

Riko sighed when she saw the disgruntled expressions on everyone's faces. Her eyes softened and she lowered her voice. "Look, Kise-kun, Aomine-kun, Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun, Akashi-kun. All of you are amazing, no, exceedingly talented models with limitless potential. I have no doubt that all of you will go farther than any other model in the future."

The tense atmosphere was still present in the room, but no one said anything to refute her words. Riko continued, "But as of right now, all of you are lacking something as models. You all know what your own weakness is. Yes, it will be a challenge, possibly the greatest challenge that any of you will face as models, but if you can overcome it, you will all reach even greater heights. I just know it." She sighed again. "Won't you please consider taking up this job? I daresay that it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I...guess it wouldn't be all that bad..." Aomine grumbled.

"Rikocchi has a point," Kise said. He hesitated for a moment. "I know this will be challenging, but I want to try to overcome it."

"...Well, this job is interesting to say the least. It wouldn't hurt to try." Midorima finally said. "...But I knew I shouldn't have left my lucky item at home today." He muttered under his breath.

Akashi gave a dry laugh. "It's not like you're giving us much a choice, Riko." He tucked the scissors back into his jacket and crossed his arms. "I'm willing to consent to your whims just this once."

Murasakibara nodded even as he threw a handful of chocolate into his mouth. "If Aka-chin agrees to do this, then so will I."

Riko smiled. "Thank you everybody. I truly believe that you can pull this off." She brightened up considerably when she took out another piece of paper from the top of the stack. "And now for the good news!"

"Any news can be considered good news after this." Midorima said sardonically.

Riko ignored the quip and continued as if the interruption did not take place. "You would never believe who I got to be your photographer for this project! Quick, ask me who it is!"

Kise chuckled good-naturedly. "So who's our photographer, Rikocchi? Whoever it is, they must be good since you're so excited."

Riko took a deep breath and paused for a moment to heighten the suspense. "It's Kuro!" She exclaimed.

Everyone's reactions were just as she predicted.

"No freakin' way." Aomine said.

Kise's smile widened. "You couldn't have, Rikocchi!"

"That certainly exceeds my expectations..." Midorima admitted.

Akashi raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile. "Impressive work as always, Riko."

"Riko-chin is amazing." Murasakibara said, still munching on his chocolates.

Riko gave a very satisfied smile. "I know, right? The chance to work with the one and only Kuro. Do you know how many models are clamoring just to have him take a single photo for them? And now you have him for the duration of the entire project!" She sighed dramatically. "Anyways, your first photoshoot with him is scheduled to be on Monday 8:00 sharp. Don't be late!" She added sternly, throwing a glare in a certain Aomine Daiki's direction.

"What?" Aomine protested. "It was _one_ time! Get off my back already!"

"One time is still one time too many." Riko lectured. "Anyways, please act properly, okay? You don't want to ruin your reputation as the Generation of Miracles with someone as renowned as Kuro, got it?" She gave a slight smile. "Of course, I will also be there at the photoshoot to supervise you all and make sure you're acting appropriately."

Akashi gave a thin smile. "Don't worry, we understand, Riko. And if anyone doesn't..." He took his scissors out again and casually twirled them around his fingers. "He will be answering to me."

Several audible gulps greeted Akashi's statement.

"They're not the ones I'm worried about..." Riko muttered under her breath. She turned back to address the models. "Anyways, just behave yourselves! Remember, you are the Generation of Miracles! And if I see that any of you has stepped out of line..." A sadistic gleam suddenly entered Riko's eyes. "I wonder if anyone feels like confessing to a girl naked?"

Trapped between Akashi and Riko, the rest of the Generation of Miracles suddenly could not decide which one was the lesser of two evils...

* * *

Monday came soon enough and the members of the Generation of Miracles dragged themselves out of bed (a certain someone could not be woken up until he was threatened with Akashi's scissors), donned on casual wear, and headed toward their private studio. They knew that there would be hordes of makeup artists, designers, and the like swarming over them soon enough so no one made too much of an effort in dressing up.

"I can never get used to morning shoots." Aomine said, yawning widely. He rubbed a bleary eye as he trudged behind the rest of his fellow models.

"C'mon, Aominecchi! Aren't you excited to meet Kuro?" Kise asked, nearly bouncing with energy. Aomine merely grunted in reply. He seriously did not understand how Kise could have so much energy this early in the morning.

"Today's lucky item is this pair of fuzzy earmuffs," Midorima reported, holding up said item. "And according to my horoscope, I will have an unexpected meeting with an Aquarius today. Do any of you happen to be an Aquarius?" There were scattered no's all around.

"I found the doughnut table." Murasakibara said, returning from his food hunt. Already, there was a plateful of doughnuts in his hand. "Would any of you like one?" Everybody looked at the sky-high pile of sugary pastries and declined. Murasakibara shrugged. The silent _'more for me then'_ was left unspoken.

"You better eat your fill quick, Atsushi," Akashi said. "We should be meeting our photographer very soon."

Kise took out his phone and checked the time. "It's already 8:10," he said in a worry-tinged voice. "Could we have gone to the wrong place?"

"No, the file that Riko gave us clearly stated that our photoshoot was here." Midorima said.

"Tch." Aomine was annoyed. "Riko told us to behave properly and arrive on time, but this Kuro person has the nerve to show up late? What the hell, man?"

"Uhm, excuse me, I'm right here."

Everybody immediately whirled around when a disembodied voice seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Aomine nearly jumped a foot when he suddenly realized that a light blue-haired teen was standing behind him. "The hell? Where did you come from?" Aomine demanded.

"Actually, I was here the entire time." The stranger said expressionlessly.

"Hey there!" Kise said with a wide smile. "Where did you come from? Are you lost, kid?"

The faintest twitch appeared on the stranger's expressionless face. "I am neither a kid nor am I lost, thank you." He stared impassively at the assembled models. "The five of you must be Aomine Daiki-kun, Kise Ryouta-kun, Midorima Shintaro-kun, Murasakibara Atsushi-kun, and Akashi Seijurou-kun, also known as the Generation of Miracles from Teikou Modeling Agency, am I correct?"

"Yes, that's right." Akashi said, stepping forward. He narrowed his eyes. "But that still doesn't explain who you are."

The blue-haired stranger bowed. "It is very nice to meet you all. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya and I will be your photographer for today." As the Generation of Miracles stared disbelievingly at him, Kuroko seemed to remember something. "Ah, I suppose all of you would probably know me better as Kuro." He added as an afterthought.

"You're Kuro?" Akashi said, a single eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Kise opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out—he could only gape at the teen who had introduced himself as their photographer.

The blue-haired teen nodded. "Yes, that is correct. My real name is Kuroko Tetsuya, but I go by the alias of Kuro in my line of work."

Impervious everyone's incredulous stares, Kuroko gave another slight bow. "I look forward to working with all of you."

* * *

**A/N:** And that's the first chapter! Whew. So here we have model!GoM, manager!Riko, and photographer!Kuroko all in the first chapter. Looks like things are going to get crazy! And if any of you were wondering why Momoi isn't their manager, it's because she has a different role in this AU. She'll make an appearance a little later.

Anyways, how was it everyone? Do you all like this model!AU idea? Please let me know of your thoughts! Thanks~

**-Bird of Dreams**


	2. The Missing Area

**A/N: **...You are all amazing. I'm so flattered to see how many of you have reviewed, favorited, and/ or alerted this story. A great big thanks to reviewers _InaMai, Harco8059, mochicocoa, ecl1ps3, Bommie, LibertyBell.047, jazlaura, blue wolf luv red phoenix, nadLeeH'108, ben4kevin, Lylia00, Soul Vrazy, AnimexMangaAddict, StupidMeong, Arcobaleno Canvas, Hayashi Yuuki, Kiyoumi, Hikari367, ShinYuu-tachi, FalteredGAIT, The Last Page, chibitomodachi, loveless23, ParadigmShift26, kp, bloodyhell95, Azalie-Kauriu, Ayumu smile, selenefave, Shirasu, ktlicious, EphemeralDulcet, fightergirlkl, saphire644, R.N. Saints, Sorrowfulchild, Guest (1), hitomi65, Laika24, wysei, mangopudding, Arisu Tsuranu, Pri-chan1410, heights1231, KitsuneNaru, anydayanywhere, Chi-tanda, SilentSerenata, StardustDreams, StarsEternal, Guest (2), sugarbunnii, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, Guest (3), Kuroshiroryuu, MacadamiaMistress, celiashi, SelfcreatedCharacter, BrokenBlackCat, LiGhTdARk-GiRlz, me myself and ink, OwlOptics, isthisparadise,_ _YugureHikari, __Distant Darkness, _and _kate-sama_. I hope I don't disappoint with this new chapter!

**Summary:** Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 2: The Missing Area**

"...You're Kuro?" Akashi repeated.

To his everlasting credit, Kuroko still did not lose his patience. It seemed that he was already used to receiving this type of reaction. "Yes, I am Kuro." The blue-haired teen said expressionlessly. "Or, if you wish, you may refer to me as Kuroko Tetsuya instead. Ah, also, I make it my policy to keep my work and my personal life separate so I would appreciate it if you did not reveal my identity as Kuro to the public."

The members of the Generation of Miracles continued to stare wordlessly at Kuroko until Kise broke the silence by running forward and glomping the boy. "I never thought that Kurokocchi would be so cute!" Kise exclaimed. "I've always been such a big fan of your pictures!" Kise said, shaking Kuroko's hand energetically. "I'm so excited to be working with you, Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko nodded. "The pleasure is all mine, Kise-kun. I hope that I will be able to get along with all of you."

Up until now, Aomine had done nothing but silently watch the boy who had just introduced himself as their photographer. There was something oddly familiar about him, but Aomine just couldn't put his finger on it.

Aomine threw another glance at Kuroko and at the sight of his expressionless blue eyes, the connection suddenly clicked. "You said you were Kuroko Tetsuya?" Aomine asked again. Kuroko nodded silently. "...Tetsu?" Aomine said uncertainly. "You're Tetsu from Teikou Middle School, right?"

Kuroko blinked once before recognition dawned over his features. "Ah, so it is Aomine-kun. I had thought that the name sounded familiar."

"I take it that you two know each other from before then?" Midorima said, fixing his glasses.

Aomine nodded. "Yeah, me and Tetsu go way back. We went to the same middle school, but after we graduated and went our separate ways, I never saw him again. Well, 'til now, that is."

"I had never imagined that I would be meeting Aomine-kun here again after all of these years." Kuroko commented.

"Wow, that's such a coincidence then!" Kise said cheerfully.

"Yes, it's good and all that you and Tetsuya are able to reunite with each other again, Daiki." Akashi cut in. "But I'm quite sure that you two can catch up on 'old times' later on. We do have more pressing matters to take care of first, yes?" His tone left no room for argument.

"...The photoshoot, right." Aomine said unenthusiastically.

Kuroko nodded. "Very well then. Let's start by going over the details of the project..."

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't you start without me!" A loud female voice yelled from behind. The Generation of Miracles members turned around to see their manager hurrying toward them, dragging a reluctant looking Hyuuga in tow.

"Sorry for the delay," Riko said, exhaling noisily. "I thought it was okay to leave you guys alone, but then I remembered that this would be your first time working with Kuro and I have yet to explain the full details of this project."

She plastered a wide smile on her face and turned to address Kuroko. "It's an honor to be able to meet and work with you, Kuro, or Kuroko-kun, if that's what you prefer instead." She gestured toward herself. "I am Aida Riko, the manager of the Generation of Miracles and this here," she pointed to an annoyed Hyuuga, "is Hyuuga Junpei, my secretary and assistant."

Kuroko bowed. "Likewise. It is also a pleasure to meet you, Riko-san, Hyuuga-san. I take it that you will be explaining about this project as well then?"

Riko nodded. "I'll go over the general details first and then you can add whatever you need to after, Kuroko-kun."

She pointed a finger at the assembled models. "Okay, you five, listen up. As you already know, the theme for this project is '_Passage of Time_'." She read off from the job paper in her hand. "The overall purpose of this project is to show your personal growth as a model, your unique sense of individuality or modeling style, and most importantly, your passion for modeling. You all understand this so far, right?"

The Generation of Miracles all gave her half-hearted responses. Riko continued. "The duration of this entire project will be one year and during this entire year, the five of you will release a total of four different photo albums: the Fall, the Winter, the Spring, and the Summer Albums to correspond with the '_Passage of Time'_ theme."

"I will explain the technicalities involved in each of the photo albums." Kuroko said. "For each of the four seasonal albums, we must include no less than three different photoshoots. At least one of the photoshoots must relate to the current season. For example, we will be starting with the Fall Album first, so for the seasonal photoshoot, we must do something that relates to the fall season."

"Let's see if I understood this correctly." Akashi said. "For this project, we will produce a total of four different albums and each one will correspond to a season. We must include at least three different photoshoots for each album. One of the photoshoots must relate to the album's season and the other two can be whatever we wish, yes?"

Kuroko nodded. "That is correct, Akashi-kun."

"So this means that we'll be doing twelve different photoshoots for this entire project?" Midorima said. Kuroko nodded again.

"Mm...there's a lot to do, huh?" Murasakibara commented as continued to munch on his doughnuts.

"Wah, that _is _a lot of work!" Kise exclaimed.

"You're telling me..." Aomine grumbled.

"Of course this will be difficult! This entire project is sponsored by Seirin Corps after all. You shouldn't have expected anything different." Riko lectured.

"Please give it your all, everyone." Hyuuga said.

"So, Kuroko-kun." Riko said. "Did you want to get started?"

"Ah, yes." Kuroko reached for the camera that hung about his neck from a long strap. "If it is possible, I would like the Generation of Miracles to do a quick, unofficial photoshoot right now. I wish to get a feel for your modeling styles first."

"That sounds reasonable." Akashi allowed. "Well, Tetsuya, did you want us to change into something else or would what we currently have on be alright with you?"

"What all of you currently are wearing is fine, Akashi-kun." Kuroko replied. "I just want to be able to see your modeling in person."

"Okay, let's do this!" Kise exclaimed as he bounded over to stand in front of the large green screen that was mounted on the studio walls.

"Behave yourself, Ryouta." Akashi said. He strolled confidently over to stand right in the middle.

"Man, we have to do this already?" Aomine was heard grumbling as he made his way over to take his position by Akashi's left side. Murasakibara took his place to Akashi's right and Midorima filled the spot in the back with Kise.

Riko and Hyuuga stood to the side to watch as Kuroko raised the camera up to his eyes. "Please take up your poses, everyone." he said.

Immediately, Akashi raised a hand to his shoulder and aimed a confident smirk in the direction of the camera. Murasakibara leaned a little closer to Akashi with an aloof expression on his face. Aomine stuck his hands into his jacket pocket and stared directly into the camera, his eyes looking sharp and fierce. Standing in the back, Midorima raised a single finger to push up at his glasses, drawing attention to his green eyes. Kise put a hand to his hip and lifted his lips into a teasing smirk.

"They are all very much in top form." Hyuuga commented quietly to Riko as they stood watching by the side. Riko nodded. Despite how many pictures she had seen of the Generation of Miracles, watching them model in real life still managed to take her breath away. Every single one of the five models seemed to ooze confidence and charisma as they stood there in their poses. Even in casual clothing, all of them still looked incredibly good-looking and breathtakingly photogenic.

But what does Kuroko-kun think of them? Riko glanced over to the blue-haired photographer who was now snapping pictures away at different angles. After several shots, Kuroko put down his camera and seemed to observe the models closely for a second.

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko started. "Please tilt your head a little bit more to the left. Muraskibara-kun, turn your body more towards Kise-kun, but keep your eyes directed toward the camera. Aomine-kun, your fierce look is good, but I would like for you to give me just the smallest smirk. Midorima-kun, please lower your finger just a little bit and angle your head away from the camera. And Kise-kun, place more of your weight on your left leg instead and move a little bit closer to Midorima-kun."

The Generation of Miracles blinked, not expecting Kuroko to instruct them like that. But they made the minor adjustments according Kuroko's directions.

Almost immediately, Riko and Hyuuga saw a noticeable difference.

"This is!..." Riko gasped.

"Unbelievable..." Hyuuga finished Riko's unspoken words. "I thought they looked good before, but now..."

Riko just shook her head. Kuroko had pointed out what Riko thought were just minor fixes, but they actually served to better emphasize each model's features. She had thought that the five models looked good before, but now, each and every single one of them seemed to radiate elegance.

"This is definitely Kuro's ability." Riko said in an awed sort of tone. "He truly knows how to make his models shine."

Kuroko snapped a few more pictures, then nodded. "Thank you, everyone. That will be all for now."

Aomine immediately dropped his pose and stretched lazily. "Man, my shoulders feel all stiff already."

"Daiki, you didn't even model for ten minutes yet." Akashi chastised.

"Indeed." Midorima said as he pushed up at his glasses.

"Maybe some pocky will make you feel better?" Murasakibara said, pulling a pack out from who knows where.

Aomine raised an eyebrow. "Nah, I'm good."

Kise bounded over to their photographer. "Ne, Kurokocchi, what was with the additional directions you gave us?"

"Yes, Tetsuya." Akashi crossed his arms. "I, too, am curious about them."

"How about he just shows you instead of explaining?" Riko interrupted with a smile. "I'm sure you'll understand then."

Kuroko pulled the memory card out from his camera and inserted it into the desktop computer that was set up in the corner. He pulled up two pictures from the file and explained, "This picture is the one I took before I gave you the directions. And this one, I took after." The Generation of Miracles stared at the two pictures and seemed to be stunned speechless.

Hyuuga chuckled at their responses. "It's pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"Wow, Tetsu." Aomine said with a raised eyebrow. "This second picture looks awesome."

"The two pictures don't look that different, but for some reason, this second photo just gives off a completely different feel..." Midorima commented.

"Kurokocchi is so amazing!" Kise declared, looking completely impressed. "You made us all look so good!"

"Kuro-chin really lives up to his reputation, huh?" Murasakibara remarked, twirling one of his pocky sticks in the air.

"Your observation skills are impeccable, Tetsuya." Akashi said, fixing Kuroko with one of his rare smiles.

Kuroko inclined his head. "Thank you, Akashi-kun. I just try to do my very best in making you models shine. That is my job as the shadow."

Riko clapped a hand to Kuroko's shoulder. "After seeing this, I have no more worries. I'm so glad that you're going to be our photographer for this project, Kuroko-kun!" She grinned cheekily and pointed to the models behind her. "So, what do you think of the Generation of Miracles so far, Kuroko-kun? They're pretty amazing themselves, right?"

Kuroko did not respond immediately, choosing to stare at the two pictures on the screen for a moment longer. When Kuroko finally did speak, his words completely shocked everyone. "I'm sorry, but I do not think that this will work out." he stated calmly.

Everyone just stared at him. "What do you mean by that, Kuroko-kun?" Riko asked, eyes wide.

"You don't think we're good enough models?" Kise said, looking upset.

Kuroko shook his head. "It's not that, Kise-kun. You Generation of Miracles are indeed highly talented models. I see no faults whatsoever in terms of your looks, styles, or experience. I would even go as far as to say that you are all on a completely different level than any other model I have worked with in the past."

"But..." Akashi pressed.

"But I can tell that you are all greatly lacking in one area." Kuroko said. "And I think that this area is the most important for any model."

"And what would that be?" Midorima asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Passion." Kuroko stated softly. "I see no passion in any of your modeling. It seems as if you are just going through with the motions of modeling. It is undeniable that all of you are accomplished models with great potential, but without passion in your modeling, I do not believe that you will be able to go far. There will be a time in the future where all of you will reach your limits as models."

Riko opened her mouth to defend her models, but even she knew that she could not refute what Kuroko had said. Every single word that he had said was true. Her mouth fell close. This was what she was afraid of the most. She knew that this would come up sooner or later. Luckily for them, all of the photographers and directors that the Generation of Miracles had worked with before did not notice this weakness, but Kuroko had been able to pick up on it almost immediately.

Akashi finally spoke. "Passion, you say, Tetsuya? You think we won't be able to far because we lack passion?" He scoffed. "In this world, nothing matters more than having talent. Your so-called 'passion' is unnecessary, Tetsuya." He crossed his arms. "Come, Ryouta, Shintaro, Daiki, Atsushi. I do believe that we're done for today."

Without another word, Murasakibara and Midorima obeyed their leader's words.

"Kurokocchi..." Kise started to say, but Akashi shot him a look and the blond model quickly followed his leader out.

Aomine lingered for a moment longer to leave a final word with his old friend. "Akashi's right, Tetsu," he said. "We don't need passion in our modeling. We only need our talent."

"You're wrong about that, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said quietly. Aomine snorted at his words before he, too, walked out of the studio.

Riko glanced about the empty studio and sighed. "I'm sorry for the way they acted just now, Kuroko-kun. I promise that I'll talk to them about their manners later."

"It's okay, Riko-san." Kuroko replied. "I would say that the fault lies entirely with me. I should not have spoken out so bluntly."

"No, what you said was true, Kuroko-kun." Hyuuga said with a sigh. "They just won't admit it themselves."

Riko gripped the job paper tightly in her hand. It is as Kuroko had pointed out. Passion for modeling. It was what the Generation of Miracles were lacking the most. This is the hurdle that they have to overcome.

* * *

**A/N: **So, is it me or was it getting hot in here when the GoM started their impromptu photoshoot? (fans self)

Haha, anyways, I do hope that I explained the new project well enough! If any of you have questions, please feel free to ask.

So, what do you think about the GoM's so-called weakness? It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, in the manga/ anime, the GoM became jaded with basketball simply because they were too good. It's the same in this AU, only in modeling terms. Anyways, I would really love to see what you thought of it!

**-Bird of Dreams**


	3. Watch Me, Watch You

**A/N: **Welcome to the third chapter of GoMod! If you were wondering, GoMod stands for 'Generation of Models'. Yes, I could have gone with GoM, but I didn't want you all to get it confused with the Generation of Miracles themselves. Haha, anyways, for those of you who were wondering when Momoi would show up, well, your wait is over! On to the chapter!

Also, I'm extremely thankful for everyone's continued support, especially to reviewers _saphire644, ArcobalenoCanvas, Harco8059, MilkyRaven, mangopudding, Hikari367, FalteredGAIT, YugureHikari, BrokenBlackCat, Kiyoumi, ben4kevin, mochicocoa, Soul Vrazy, StupidMeong, setsuko teshiba, chibitomodachi, The Last Page, LoveGonzo2, Nightmaric, Pri-Chan 1410, anydayanywhere, isthisparadise, Hayashi Yuuki, bloodyhell95, Ayumu smile, fightergirlkl, hitomi65, Kuroshiroryuu, OwlOptics, Keikoku Yuki, heights1231, hiyomi, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, wysei, SelfcreatedCharacter, KitsuneNaru, InaMai, LiGhTdARk-GiRlz, Yuu3, Guest, Lylia00, kate-sama, Nekotan1999, Seventeenth Shenanigan, Dreaming Skies, _and _Kuruizaki-hime_. Thank you all so much!

**Summary:** Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 3: Watch Me, Watch You**

Kuroko walked down the street with a pensive expression on his face, fingers toying distractedly with the strap of his camera. He thought back to the last conversation he had with Riko and Hyuuga right after the Generation of Miracles had stormed out of their studio.

_"I'm so sorry for how they just acted, Kuroko-kun." Riko said with an apologetic tone. "They know this is the one area they need to improve in. But they're just too proud and stubborn to admit it."_

_Hyuuga sighed. "It wasn't like this before. In fact, I can say that they all truly enjoyed modeling when they first started out. But after they rose in fame, well, you can see for yourself how they've changed." _

_"Please help them, Kuroko-kun." Riko nearly pleaded. "I originally asked them to take up this project because I hoped that it could help bring back the passion for modeling that they have lost. We've tried everything we could think of, but nothing has worked so far."_

_Kuroko wordlessly listened to the entire explanation. "I understand, Riko-san," he said after a moment. "Please do not worry. I promise that I will bring them back to their old selves. After all, it is a photographer's job to bring out the best in his models."_

_"Thank you, Kuroko-kun." Riko smiled. "Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be an easy task..." _

Kuroko continued down the block before slipping into a thin, hidden path that partially obscured by some wayward bushes. At the end of the path, he was greeted by the sight of what looked to be two rows of abandoned warehouses. Kuroko stopped in front of one of them. "Studio 15," he said, pulling out a piece of paper to check. "This should be the right place."

According to what Riko had told him, this is where the Generation of Miracles should be having one of their job photoshoots right now. Kuroko folded the paper back into his pocket and quietly slipped in through an open back door.

The inside of the studio was nothing like the outdated exterior—state-of-the-art lighting fixtures hung from the ceiling, new cameras and other equipment were scattered around, and different backdrops were artistically placed along the various walls.

Kuroko looked over to the largest backdrop to see Aomine, who was decked out in white polo, a fitted gray jacket and a silver designer watch, sitting on a white armchair. The tanned model leaned his head against his watch arm and smirked, posing for the flashing camera while the rest of the Generation of Miracles watched by the sidelines. From what he could see so far, Kuroko deduced that this photoshoot was to promote the watches—each member of the Generation of Miracles was seen wearing an identical silver watch.

"Excellent work, Aomine-kun!" The photographer exclaimed. "Go ahead and take a break now. Since we're finished with the individual shots at the moment, I'll take several pictures of the whole group a little later."

"Alright." Aomine yawned widely and stretched his hands over his head as he went to join back up with the rest of his group.

Kuroko discreetly made his way over. "Aomine-kun."

"What?" Aomine turned around only to jump a foot in the air when he saw a certain blue-haired photographer that he was definitely not expecting to see. "Holy crap, Tetsu! When did you get here?"

Alerted by the sudden commotion, the rest of the Generation of Miracles made their way over. They looked equally surprised to see Kuroko in the studio.

"Kurokocchi? What are you doing here?" Kise asked.

"Yes, Tetsuya." Akashi crossed his arms. "Do tell us the reason why you're here."

"I am actually here to observe the way you would model at a real job photoshoot." Kuroko said. He paused for a moment before bowing. "Also, I wish to apologize for speaking out so bluntly before and I'm sorry if I had offended you in any way. I do hope that we can put this behind us and start anew."

Aomine was the first to speak. "Jeez, Tetsu," he said running a hand through his hair. "It wasn't really such a big deal."

Kise nodded. "Aominecchi's right. I wasn't mad or anything." He threw a nervous glance at the rest of the Generation of Miracles. _Though I can't say the same for the other three..._

The other three members of the Generation of Miracles stared at Kuroko for a long moment, as if they were silently judging his words for themselves.

Midorima spoke after a short pause. "My horoscope's good today, so I suppose I'm feeling particularly forgiving right now." he finally said.

Akashi stared at Kuroko for a moment longer before he said, "Well, we do have to work together for an entire year. It wouldn't do us any good to start off on a bad foot, right, Atsushi?" Murasakibara nodded dutifully. Akashi smiled wryly. "And we do need you after all, Tetsuya."

"Yes," Kuroko said, meeting the redhead's eyes. "My one and only duty is to help you succeed at this project so my skills are for all of you to use as you wish."

Akashi smiled, satisfied. "That's what I wanted to hear, Tetsuya." And with that, the tension fizzled out of the room like an old balloon. Kise visibly brightened after he saw that everyone had more or less reconciled with Kuroko.

Kise grinned. "Alright, now that everyone's happy again...group hug!" he exclaimed. His declaration was met with groans and muttered complaints.

"Like hell I'm doing that." Aomine said automatically.

Akashi raised an eyebrow. "Ryouta, go hug a pillow if you're feeling inclined to."

"Touch me and you die." Midorima said bluntly.

"I would hug you, Kise-chin," Murasakibara said. "But my hands are full right now." He gestured toward the bag of caramel popcorn that seemed to have magically appeared in his hands.

"All of you are so mean!" Kise wailed. "Fine, I'll just hug Kurokocchi instead! At least he loves me!" As the blond model started toward said person, two people immediately stepped in front of Kuroko.

"The hell are you trying to do to Tetsu?" Aomine said, eyes narrowing threateningly.

"Yes, Ryouta. Just what exactly were you trying to do to Tetsuya here again?" Akashi asked in a misleadingly innocent tone of voice. Kise gulped. He could already see Akashi's fingers itching to reach for his scissors.

"N-nothing, Akashicchi." Kise hurriedly replied, survival instincts kicking in.

Akashi smiled. "That's what I thought, Ryouta. Good answer."

Kuroko blinked, completely unperturbed by the scene before him. "Aomine-kun," he started. "Were all of you doing individual shots just now?"

"Yes!" Kise quickly cut in, more than glad for the sudden change in subject. "We're supposed to be advertising for this watch," he gestured to the one strapped around his wrist, "and the photographer had us take individual pictures first. The rest of us already had our photos taken—Aominecchi was the last one."

"Ah, I see." Kuroko seemed to think for a moment. "For that last pose, Aomine-kun, you should tilt your head so that more of the side of your face is directed towards the camera—it makes for a more flattering angle. Also, instead of just leaning your face against your hand, you should bring your fingers up to touch your lips instead. The audience's attention will be immediately drawn to your fingers and in turn, the watch."

Kuroko's words were met with a stunned silence. Akashi was the first to recover. "Another one of your fixes again, Tetsuya?"

"Yes, something like that."

Aomine sighed. "So tilt head more, finger to lips, right? 'Kay, got it." He stood up and strolled back over to the photographer. "Hey. Let me do that last pose again."

The photographer was surprised at Aomine's sudden request, but he quickly recovered. "Of course, Aomine-kun. If that's what you want."

Aomine grunted before settling back onto the armchair. The photographer shifted his camera back into position while the rest of the Generation of Miracles watched expectantly. "Okay, Aomine-kun," the photographer said. "In 3...2...1..."

At the count of 1, Aomine posed as Kuroko had instructed—he shifted his head into a profile view angle, raised his fingers to touch his slightly parted lips, and shot a sensual smirk directly into the camera.

One could hear a pin drop as a sudden hush fell over the entire studio—all the staff members were rendered speechless as they stared wordlessly at Aomine. The photographer seemed to lose himself for a minute before he quickly snapped picture after picture. "Yes, yes, yes!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Absolutely amazing, Aomine-kun! This is much better than the first pose!"

Akashi smirked as he and the rest of the Generation of Miracles watched by the side. "So, 'Kuro' strikes again, huh?"

"Kuroko's perceptiveness and observation skills are definitely above par." Midorima commented. "It's truly impressive that he managed to catch all of that in such a short amount of time. Didn't he come in only at the very end of Aomine's photoshoot?"

Murasakibara nodded. "I can see why Kuro-chin is so famous now."

"Of course!" Kise said emphatically. "No one can match up to Kurokocchi! He's the best!"

"And that's a wrap!" the photographer declared with a nod. "That was great, Aomine-kun. Where did you come up with that last pose?"

Aomine threw a sidelong glance at Kuroko and shrugged. "Guess you could say I had help from a friend."

"Well whoever your friend is, he certainly knows his stuff!" the photographer smiled. "I can't wait to develop all of your photos! Good job today, all of you!" And he walked off to his office, a noticeable skip in his step.

"I really can't wait to start working with Kurokocchi!" Kise exclaimed, slinging an arm over the smaller boy's shoulder. "Make sure to work your magic on me as well, okay?"

"Ryouta," Akashi started with a frown. "What did I say about touching Tetsuya like that? He belongs to _all_ of us."

"I can explain Akashicchi!..." Kise quickly replied, raising his hand off from Kuroko's shoulder. "I was just acting on the moment and..."

Thankfully, Kise was spared from having to explain anymore when a blur of pink suddenly rushed toward Kuroko with a loud exclamation of "Tetsu-kun!" The girl glomped Kuroko with an excited giggle, pressing him against her rather well-endowed chest.

Kuroko met the pink-haired girl's hug with his usual stoic expression. "Momoi-san," Kuroko said calmly. "How are you?"

The girl straightened out with a pout. "We haven't seen each other for so long, Tetsu-kun! Can't you show a little more excitement after seeing me again?"

"I apologize, Momoi-san." Kuroko deadpanned.

Aomine raised an eyebrow. "Satsuki? What are you doing here?"

Kise looked excited. "It's Momoicchi! Are you going to work with us on another photoshoot again?"

"Yes, does your arrival here mean that we will be working together again?" Akashi asked.

Momoi shook her head. "No, it's not that. Though it was fun when we did that photoshoot together."

"Aw, that's too bad." Muaraskibara said as he unwrapped a lollipop. "It would be fun to model together with Momo-chin again."

"So if you're not here for that reason," Midorima said, "what brings you here exactly?"

Momoi smiled. "I'm here to see Tetsu-kun of course!" She hugged the blue-haired boy again. "After working with Tetsu-kun just once, I haven't found another photographer who can match up to even half of his talent! And I still haven't properly thanked him yet for taking that beautiful 'cherry picture' for me!"

Her statement was met with raised eyebrows. Like Kuroko, the Generation of Miracles have all worked with Momoi Satsuki in past projects. And like them, Momoi was also a successful model who shot to stardom after the well-received release of her 'cherry picture'.

The 'cherry picture', which was photographed by Kuroko, was part of Momoi's debut album. The picture featured Momoi in a svelte, sleeveless black dress that emphasized her slender figure. Lounging along a white plush couch, Momoi held a stalk of cherries up to her plush, slightly parted lips. She had on a coy smile as she looked up at the camera from beneath her eyelashes. The entire picture seemed to emit a mesmerizing type of allure—Kuroko had captured every last detail at a perfect angle.

Now recognized by the public as Momoi's most well-known picture, the 'cherry picture' stands as one of the pinnacles of Momoi's successful modeling career and marks the long chain of photographer Kuro's continued accomplishments.

"Oh, I know that picture!" Kise exclaimed. "Momoicchi was so pretty in it!"

"The 'cherry picture' was the one that helped you get that big sponsor, correct?" Midorima asked.

"Yes!" Momoi smiled. "And it was all thanks to Tetsu-kun!"

Akashi raised an eyebrow. "That 'cherry' picture...Tetsuya was the one who took it for you did you say?" Momoi nodded enthusiastically. The redhead quirked a smile. "Impressive. I can see now that Kuro's reputation isn't just for show after all."

"'Course it isn't." Aomine defended. "Tetsu's great."

"Calm yourself, Daiki. I know what I've seen so far." Akashi said. "I was just stating a comment." Aomine gave a noncommittal grunt.

"Well, anyways," Momoi said brightly. "I see that it's your turn to be working with Tetsu-kun now, huh? So what project are you all doing?"

"It's the one sponsored by Seirin Corps," Kise said, holding up a peace sign. "You know, the one with the _Passage of Time_ theme?"

"Oh, yes, I've heard of it!" Momoi said. "It sounds like a really interesting project. And I think that it'll be a good fit for all of you. I would have wanted to try it out myself if only my own schedule wasn't so booked." She sighed before giving a wistful smile. "And since you're going to be working with Tetsu-kun, I have no doubt that you'll be able to successfully pull this off." she said as she gave Kuroko's shoulder a meaningful squeeze.

Kuroko looked into Momoi's eyes and at that moment, he knew that she knew what he did about the Generation of Miracles.

Momoi met Kuroko's glance and gave a subtle shake of her head. "We'll talk about this another time, Tetsu-kun," She whispered into his ear as she threw a glance over at the other five models.

"Understood, Momoi-san." Kuroko replied softly.

Momoi straightened up. "Anyways, it was good seeing all of you again. I really would love to catch up some more, but I have to go now or my manager will come after me!" She threw them all an apologetic look. "We'll meet up again, okay?"

"Sure thing, Momoicchi!" Kise said easily.

"Just don't expect me to follow you on one of your shopping trips again." Aomine grumbled.

"I suppose we'll have to see you another time then." Akashi said.

"Yes! See you later, everyone!" Momoi called out as she hurried out of the studio.

Momoi had barely left the studio when Riko came strolling in, a clipboard in her hands. "Was that Momoi I just saw?" She asked, looking back.

"Just missed her." Aomine said, jabbing a finger in the direction the other model ran off in.

"Oh, I see." She adjusted the papers on the clipboard. "Anyways, that's not important right now." Riko smiled triumphantly. "I have just decided on your first photoshoot for the Fall Album of this project!"

Midorima raised an eyebrow. "We're starting already?"

"I thought we were going to spend some more time to look for photoshoot ideas first, Riko-chin." Murasakibara said as he gave his lollipop a casual lick.

"There's no time to waste, Murasakibara-kun!" Riko declared with an emphatic shake of her head. "We'll have to run a tight deadline here if we want to finish the Fall Album on time! I have already discussed this photoshoot with Kuroko-kun here and Hyuuga-kun the other day and we have all come to a general consensus."

She stared intently at the members of the Generation of Miracles as she checked them out from head to toe. "Fufufu..." Riko chuckled eerily. "Yes, yes, you'll all do very nicely with what I have planned." A disturbingly evil smile lit up on Riko's face as she continued to 'strip' down the models with just her eyes.

"R-Rikocchi!" Kise whimpered. "I'm feeling violated here!"

Akashi raised a single eyebrow. "I take it that we have no choice but to go along with this so-called photoshoot theme you have selected for us then?"

"Tch." Aomine crossed his arms. "When do we ever get a say?"

Riko ignored her models' complaints and continued to level the Generation of Miracles with the same look.

"Alright!" she declared dramatically. "All of you better prepare yourselves." A wicked smile split across Riko's face. "Because you're about to suit up!"

* * *

**A/N: **Yay, Kuroko and the GoM made up with each other! So here, we have lots of GoM x Kuroko interaction, touchy!Kise, protective!Aomine, bipolar!Akashi (angry at first, then protective of Kuroko? Make up your mind, Akashi!), and more Kuroko awesomeness as well. And like I said earlier, Momoi finally makes an appearance! How many of you suspected that she was a model as well?

Starting from the next chapter, the GoM will officially begin working on the project, starting with their first photoshoot for the Fall Album. So what did you think of the theme that Riko introduced? Fitting no? I know that I, for one, would definitely like to see the GoM 'suit up'~

Please leave me with your thoughts and opinions! Thanks!

**-Bird of Dreams**


	4. Fall Album I - Suit Up!

**A/N: **This chapter is looong overdue. Augh, I have no excuses. Well, actually I do...school has been _extremely_ busy... (sigh) But I truly do apologize for the long lapse in update so I'll make it up to you with this longer than usual chapter. And without further ado, I present to you: GoMod Chapter 4!

In addition, many many hugs and thank you's to all my reviewers: _Soul Vrazy, FalteredGAIT, Ni-GrAce, LibertyBell.047, LiGhTdARk-GiRlz, animelovwers, Kuruizaki-hime, YugureHikari, IsAHimawari, BrokenBlackCat, Pri-Chan 1410, Nightmaric, wintercrystal, SelfcreatedCharacter, hiyomi, hitomi65, Guest, OwlOptics, Kiyoumi, mochicocoa, AliArdemonio, AnimeXMangaAddict, chibitomodachi, Kaitou Ryuki, mangopudding, Tsuna De Vongola Decimo, topaz830, Ayumu smile, AliceXShunMEGAFan17, Henzie-sama, xbluerainbowx, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, anydayanywhere, TheReihani, StupidMeong, Eorendel, saphire644, Kurorinny, suicune4ever, yin13147, InaMai, Keikoku Yuki, Hayashi Yuuki, NightTexts, Aella Yuki, Seventeenth Shenanigan, JennyPham7, yumeniai, ManniaOnna11OtakuHpFan, Q3APo, that neutral girl, Peridot15, XXXChibisuke, nwyd, Sora Ai-chan, fuchaoife, BlackCatAnimeGirl, _and_xMythrilMist._ All of your support means a whole lot to me!

**Summary:** Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 4: Fall Album I - Suit Up!**

Momoi sat outside the steps of a large photography studio. She took her phone out from her pocket and glanced at the time every now and then. When she heard soft footsteps approaching from behind, Momoi turned around to see a familiar photographer walking towards her.

"I received your message, Momoi-san." Kuroko said, holding up his own phone. He joined her by the steps. "You said that you wished to speak to me about the Generation of Miracles?"

"Yes I did, Tetsu-kun. I'll try to make this fast since I know you have a photoshoot very soon." Momoi sighed. "Well, how should I start? I'm sure you already know about the Generation of Miracles' weak point by now."

Kuroko nodded. "If you mean the lack of passion that Akashi-kun and the others exhibit in their modeling then yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. I had thought that you already knew about it as well, Momoi-san, given the way you acted when we met in the studio last time."

"Yes," Momoi sighed again. "It makes me really sad when I see the five of them like that nowadays. They really weren't like this before, you know. I know this might sound surprising, but there was actually a time when all five of them truly loved to model."

"That's what Riko-san and Hyuuga-san said as well." Kuroko noted quietly.

Momoi nodded. "It's true though. I mean, I've known the Generation of Miracles ever since we were all just fledgling models." She leaned her head onto her arms and smiled wistfully. "Back when we just started modeling, all of them couldn't get enough of the camera. It was like they were born to be in the spotlight. It didn't matter what jobs they took back then. They honestly just had fun just posing and advertising to the audience."

She smiled sadly. "But after a while, their popularity grew until it became what it was today. And then they changed. All of them changed, Tetsu-kun." she said softly. "The pressures of the modeling world got to them."

"It's understandable though," Momoi continued with a shake of her head. "Being as famous as they are, all of them are bound to have personal pressures they probably have to face every day. But what they're doing right now can't be called modeling anymore. Their passion is...gone."

Momoi sighed. "It's just...once more, I want to be able to see them truly enjoy modeling again, with genuine smiles on their faces. You can see where I'm coming from, can't you, Tetsu-kun?"

Kuroko listened to Momoi's story quietly. "So it's not that they have no passion for modeling, but they have just lost sight of it."

"That's right." Momoi twisted her hands together. "I believe that somewhere deep inside them, that passion, that _spark_, is still there. We just need to bring it back up."

Kuroko nodded thoughtfully. "I will try my best, Momoi-san. It also pains me to see Aomine-kun and the others act the way they do about modeling. I believe that a model without passion isn't qualified to model. It's a model's job to promote products and works of art after all. And if the model himself has no passion, how can he expect to make the audience passionate about what he's supposed to be endorsing?"

"You're very insightful, Tetsu-kun." Momoi said with a small smile. "That's why I know that you'll be the one to bring back their love for modeling."

"Thank you for your confidence in me, Momoi-san." Kuroko said, giving a slight bow. "I will try my best not to let you down."

"I know you won't." Momoi got up from the steps and brushed off the back of her capris. "I suppose I shouldn't keep you from your photoshoot any longer. Thanks for listening to me today."

"Of course, Momoi-san. Anytime." Kuroko waved goodbye to the pink-haired girl and watched as she got into her red convertible and drove away. He stared up into the sky for a moment, heaved a light sigh, then turned to walk back into the studio.

Before Kuroko reached the models, he could already hear Aomine's grumbling from down the hall. "I can't believe I'm wearing a suit." The tanned model was heard saying. "A suit of all things." Aomine unbuttoned the first few buttons of his dark blue dress shirt, pulled the collar down so that his entire collarbone was nearly exposed, and loosened his tie some more. "Damn, this thing is itchy."

Midorima rolled his eyes. "Cease your complains, Aomine. You're a model. You've worn far worse things before." Kuroko silently noted that there was not a single button out of place or so much as a crease on Midorima's neatly pressed suit—unlike Aomine, Midorima's own suit jacket was properly buttoned and his tie was tucked neatly under the collar of his dark green shirt.

"Yeah!" Kise added. The blond model was wearing an partially buttoned suit jacket along with a dark yellow collared shirt. Hung around his neck was a silver pendant that complemented the silver chain that hung off his belt and the thin silver hoop earring that adorned his left ear. "Aominecchi, remember that time when you were covered in rose petals and wearing nothing but that tiny..." The rest of Kise's sentence faded off when Aomine suddenly advanced threateningly toward him.

"Don't _ever,_" Aomine jabbed a finger into Kise's face. "bring that photoshoot up again. Unless you have a certain death wish."

"G-Got it, Aominecchi!" Kise quickly squeaked out.

Akashi's lips quirked up into a wry smile. "Traumatizing memory, Daiki?" He asked, recalling that particular photoshoot all too well himself. The redhead casually brushed some dirt off the shoulder of his neatly buttoned suit jacket. Underneath the jacket, Akashi also wore a dark gray pinstriped vest, a maroon collared shirt, and a slim black tie, partially left undone.

"Augh. Don't even remind me." Aomine groaned before dropping his head into his hands. "Man, sometimes I wonder why I even model."

"Because we're all extremely good-looking and have ten times more talent than any other model out there?" Akashi said. He shrugged when the rest of the Generation of Miracles stared at their leader. "What? There's nothing wrong with stating facts. Isn't that right, Atsushi?"

Murasakibara nodded obediently. "Aka-chin always has the right answers."

"You know, arrogance isn't really all that attractive, Akashi-kun." Riko reproached, crossing her arms.

Akashi quirked an eyebrow. "It's not arrogance, but confidence, my dear Riko." He smirked. "Besides, I am merely stating the truth."

Riko huffed a sigh and rolled her eyes, but said nothing to rebuke the model's statement. "Whatever you say, Akashi-kun. Anyways, has any of you seen Kuroko-kun? It's almost time to start the photoshoot."

"Excuse me, I am right here."

Again, every person experienced a sense of déjà vu of their first meeting with Kuroko—everyone gave a start as the blue-haired photographer seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere. "Jeez, Tetsu, if you're here, just say something." Aomine grumbled.

"I apologize, Aomine-kun. I will keep that in mind next time." Kuroko observed the suited models for a moment before nodding. "You all look very nice. And Murasakibara-kun, that hairstyle really fits you. It looks very sharp."

Murasakibara casually raised a hand to his hair. His usually unruly shoulder-length hair had been slicked back and tied into a low, sleek ponytail. Several strands of wayward hair framed his face, brushing against the nape of his neck. A finely tailored suit jacket, a dark purple collared shirt, and a loose black tie completed his look. "Mm, you think so, Kuro-chin?"

Kise pouted. "Aw...I also look good, don't I, Kurokocchi?"

Akashi's eyes flashed. "Ryouta..."

Riko quickly cut in before everything could descend into chaos. "Yes, yes, you all look fantastic." She looked at the models again and nodded approvingly. "Truly dressed to kill if I do say so myself."

Hyuuga cleared his throat, hastily interrupting Riko when he caught the telltale glint in her eyes. "Well, Kuroko-kun, have you briefed them about the locations of the photoshoot yet?"

Kuroko shook his head. "No, not yet. I was just about to do that." He turned to address the Generation of Miracles. "After careful consultation with both Riko-san and Hyuuga-san, we have decided on several locations to shoot the photos at."

"We already reserved these places for today so we're free to use them for whoever long we want." Riko said.

"Sounds good!" Kise exclaimed.

"Shall we get started then?" Akashi said.

"So where exactly is our first location?" Midorima asked. "It better not be a place which will conflict with my luck."

"It's right ahead. Follow me, please." Kuroko led the models down a hallway and stopped in front a set of large double doors. Hyuuga retrieved a key from his pocket to unlock the room. "Our first photoshoot location will be in this conference room." Kuroko pushed the two doors open and allowed the models to step inside.

The Generation of Miracles stared in a moment of awed silence. The five of them were greeted by the sight of a spacious white room. A polished mahogany table stretched across the floor with plush, high-back black chairs lining up alongside of it. Wide ceiling-to-floor windows allowed a generous amount of natural light to pour in, illuminating the entire room with a soft, incandescent glow.

Aomine voiced everyone's thoughts with one word. "Dang."

Kise gave a low whistle. "Wow, this is _nice_."

"Indeed." Midorima agreed.

Even Akashi could not find fault with it. "It truly is a fitting place for our first photoshoot." he noted approvingly.

Riko clapped her hands together. "Alright then, to your places, everyone."

The head chair at the front of the table went undisputedly to Akashi. Everyone else took a chair near him, with Aomine and Kise occupying the seats to Akashi's immediate right. Murasakibara and Midorima took up the chairs on the left side of the table.

Riko nodded approvingly. "Are you ready, Kuroko-kun?"

Kuroko adjusted the lens of his camera and gave his tripod stand an experimental tap. "Yes," He directed the camera at the models. "I am ready whenever you are."

At the unspoken signal, Akashi brought his hands together, held them under his chin, tilted his head slightly to the left and then smirked knowingly into the camera. To Akashi's right, Kise leaned his head against his arm and gave a small open-mouthed smirk. Aomine had his arms crossed as he leaned back against his seat, all the while throwing a piercing stare in the direction of the camera.

Midorima had his hands folded neatly in front of him and he stared expectantly into the camera over the rim of his glasses. Murasakibara casually ran a hand through his hair—a gesture similar to the one he did earlier—with his head angled to the side and his mouth slightly parted.

Kuroko worked quickly, snapping picture after picture, then repositioning the camera to shoot at different angles. After several photos, he cocked his head and examined the models for a moment.

"There he goes, Hyuuga-kun." Riko whispered, eyeing the photographer expectantly.

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko began listing out a string of instructions. "Angle your head more toward the side—yes, that's perfect. Kise-kun, lower your head just a bit more. Aomine-kun lean forward a little more...mm, just like that. Midorima-kun, place your left hand over your right instead and Murasakibara-kun raise your hand just a tad bit more."

Riko was not disappointed—again, Kuroko's changes created an almost immediate effect. The entire mood of the room seemed to change in an instant—the models' gestures became more defined and even their gazes seemed to sharpen into focus.

"Working his magic once again I see." Hyuuga murmured back to Riko.

Kuroko snapped a few more pictures, then nodded to himself. "This is good for now, thank you." As the models relaxed out of their poses, Kuroko turned to address Hyuuga. "Hyuuga-kun, please bring them out now. We will be using them for the next picture."

Akashi quirked an eyebrow. "Bring what out?"

Hyuuga smiled before retrieving a thin box from within his bag. "This. It was Kuroko-kun's idea, by the way."

"These were specially prepared for all of you for this photoshoot." Riko said, grinning.

Curious, Akashi took the proffered box from Hyuuga and opened it.

Again, he raised an eyebrow. "...Glasses?" Akashi said, peering down at the four silver-rimmed glasses that lay nestled in the box.

"These are non-prescription lenses." Riko explained. "You'll all be wearing them in the next picture, with the exception of Midorima-kun, of course, since he already has his own pair."

"Why glasses?" Aomine asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Don't you know how popular meganes are with the audience?" Riko retorted. Her eyes took on a familiar glint as her next words took on a dreamlike quality. "Glasses combined with hot bishies like yourselves will be a surefire hit! Fufufu...I can already imagine the audience's reaction..."

Hyuuga quickly cleared his throat again. "What Riko means to say is that these glasses will be an interesting addition to the picture. Kuroko-kun planned this out well."

Kise laughed. "Alrightie then, sounds fun!" He took out a pair of glasses and put them on. "Do I look good?" He asked playfully as he waggled his eyebrows up and down.

"Save it for the actual picture, Kise-kun." Riko said, chuckling.

Midorima crossed his arms. "Hmph. Even so, glasses like those won't make idiots like yourself look any smarter."

"Ehhh?" Kise looked distraught. "Don't be like that Midorimacchi!"

Aomine made a 'tch' sound. "Ah, what the heck. Might as well." He too went and grabbed a pair.

"This is interesting, isn't it, Aka-chin?" Murasakibara commented as he fiddled with his own pair of glasses.

"...If you say so." Akashi said after a pause. But there was a slight frown on his face and he looked most reluctant when he reached out for the last pair of glasses. "This would have been better if I were informed of this ahead of time..." he muttered under his breath.

"If all of you have received your glasses now, would you please return to your former seats? We will begin the next picture shortly." Kuroko said.

The five models moved back into their original positions. "Once again, whenever you all are ready." Kuroko said.

Akashi folded his arms across his chest. This pose, combined with his glasses glinting in the light, made him look every bit the imposing leader he was. Kise chose a more playful look, raising several fingers to the side of his glasses and shooting a wink toward the camera. Raising a hand to his neck, Aomine threw a sideways glance at his camera, with his lips slightly parted.

Midorima opted for his usual pose, using a single finger to push up at the bridge of his own glasses. Murasakibara tilted his head to the side and peered over the rim of his glasses.

Kuroko studied all of them for a moment before rattling off some more changes. "Akashi-kun, if you could lower your glasses just a little more, that would be good. And Aomine-kun..."

"The glasses really were a good idea." Riko whispered in between Kuroko's instructions.

"Mmhmm..." Hyuuga nodded. "It really helps draw the focus to their eyes."

"Okay, those were some good pictures." Kuroko said several photos later. "I think we're just about done here."

"So are we quite ready to move on to our next location yet, Tetsuya?" Akashi cut in.

Kuroko blinked. "...Of course, Akashi-kun. We will head towards there right now."

Akashi gave a curt nod and, without saying another word, walked out of the room. There were more than a few raised eyebrows at Akashi's abrupt departure.

"Akashicchi?..." Kise said uncertainly.

"What's going on?" Hyuuga asked Riko quietly.

The manager frowned. "I'm not really sure. But whatever the reason, Akashi-kun doesn't look very happy..."

* * *

"...So, stairs?" Midorima said. "This is where our next picture will be?" The five models eyed the set of decrepit-looking stairs with some trepidation. The flight of stairs they currently stood in front of looked exactly like the type of stairs you could find in any underground parking lot, complete with run-down steps and paint-chipped hand railings.

Kuroko nodded. "These worn-out stairs will contrast nicely with your neat suits and further add an air of mystery to the pictures."

"Huh. You sure come up with the strangest places, Tetsu." Aomine remarked.

"But it's interesting, isn't it?" Kise said.

"Hm. It certainly is a different take." Akashi allowed. He began to climb up the stairs, intent on standing on the highest step.

"Ah, actually," Kuroko's interruption stopped Akashi in mid-step. "If you don't mind me saying, I have already pictured the positions that will give the best effect in this type of setting. Akashi-kun, please stand over here in the front." Kuroko gestured to the middle spot of the lowest steps. "Keep your back to the camera, but turn your head to look over your shoulder."

"Aomine-kun, take off your suit jacket, sling it over your right shoulder and lean against the railing over here," he gestured to a spot several steps higher to Akashi's right. "And place your right foot at this lower step. Midorima-kun, please stand on the same step as Aomine-kun, but on this side instead. Place your hands into your pockets and lean against the railing as well."

"As for Kise-kun and Murasakibara-kun..." Kuroko pulled two fedoras out of Hyuuga's bag and handed it to them. "Put these on, then stand several steps behind Aomine-kun and Midorima-kun, but move closer toward the middle."

"Cool!" Kise exclaimed excitedly when he was handed his fedora.

"Hmm...I guess Kise-chin and I are special." Murasakibara said as everyone filed to their positions according to Kuroko's instructions. Akashi stared unblinkingly at Kuroko for a moment, unmoving, before he walked down the steps to his assigned position. A small frown was set on his face all the while.

When everyone assumed their spots, they created a sort of inverted triangle, with Akashi as the tip in front. Kuroko nodded as he lowered his eye to his camera. "This is perfect. Stay like that please."

The unmistakable frown was still present on Akashi's face even as Kuroko snapped the picture.

* * *

"I must admit, I did have some doubts about choosing a remote location like that staircase for the photoshoot." Riko said to Hyuuga as they all walked toward their last location. "But Kuroko-kun has done it again. He really has an eye for these things. I mean, those last pictures felt like they were shooting a scene out of an action movie or something."

"I know what you mean." Hyuuga agreed. "That specific setting really added an extra dimension to the pictures and helped enhance the overall mood."

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone." Kuroko said to the Generation of Miracles. "This here will be our last photoshoot location of the day." The eight of them currently stood inside a fancy bar room. The main centerpiece of the room was a large, velvet plush couch, matched with a low cherry wood tea table.

"For this last picture, I'm aiming for sophisticated type of mood to match with the ambiance of this bar." Kuroko explained. "So I was planning to have Akashi-kun hold this glass of wine here and..."

"Tetsuya," Akashi suddenly cut in. "If you just keep telling us what to do, we would be nothing more than your dolls to show off as you wish. Shouldn't we, the actual models, be able to have some say as to what _we_ might want to do?" The intensity of his stare matched the obvious displeasure in his voice.

"Akashi-kun!" Riko immediately admonished. "How can you say that? Kuroko-kun's only trying to help!"

Kuroko was silent for a moment. "You're right, Akashi-kun. I overstepped my boundaries and for that, I apologize. Please feel free to position yourselves however you feel fit for this last photo."

"As I should have the right to." Without another word, Akashi picked up the glass of wine and sat himself confidently down right in the middle of the couch.

This tense moment brought everyone on edge and seemed to severely affect the mood of the rest of the Generation of Miracles—the comfortable work environment of before was destroyed in that brief instant.

"Tch." Aomine grumbled. "Whatever." He plopped himself down on the couch as well, looking bored as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"How troublesome. I knew I should not have left my lucky item at home today." Midorima said. He angrily shoved up at his glasses before he, too, stiffly took a seat down next to Akashi.

Murasakibara silently made his way over to stand behind Akashi. Kise threw an uncertain look back at Kuroko and chewed nervously on his lip as he took the last available seat on the couch.

"Okay, whenever you're ready..." Kuroko started.

"We're ready now, Tetsuya." Akashi cut in. Riko and Hyuuga exchanged apprehensive glances as the tense atmosphere of the room lingered on.

Kuroko was just about to snap the picture when a loud voice suddenly interrupted them from behind.

"Ha! You call that modeling?'"

Shards of glass went flying into the air when the glass of wine suddenly exploded, crushed from the sheer pressure of Akashi's tight grip.

"Akashicchi!" Kise exclaimed, horrified.

But Akashi paid no heed even as droplets of blood-red wine ran down his hand. "What did you say?" He demanded. Everyone turned to stare at the two newcomers who stood by the mouth of the door.

One of the newcomers, a tall redhead, raised himself to his full height and said tauntingly, "I said, you call that modeling?"

"Taiga!" The other person—a slender black-haired teenager with parted side bangs—said. "You shouldn't just say that outright to them!"

"Huh? What's wrong with calling them out if they really do suck, Tatsuya?" The tall redhead demanded.

"Oh? So you think our modeling is less than satisfactory?" Akashi asked calmly. But the anger was evident on his face. His mismatched eyes flashed dangerously and his hand moved toward his pocket, as if itching to grasp hold of a familiar pair of scissors.

"Well, yeah." Kagami smirked. "I mean, you guys are the famous Generation of Miracles, right? Stars of the modeling world and all that. Well, I didn't believe that for a second." He shook his head and sneered. "And what I saw just now confirmed it. If that was the true level of the Generation of Miracles, I'm extremely disappointed."

Everyone stared wordlessly at the bold redhead, frozen in shock and disbelief at Kagami's sudden appearance and completely unexpected words.

Kagami gave a most condescending smirk as he delivered his final words. "I guess the reputation of the Generation of Miracles is just a fluke after all."

* * *

**A/N: **And Kagami takes the stage! ...Along with Himuro, of course. Bet you didn't expect him to just suddenly appear like that, did you? Don't worry, it will all be explained in the next chapter. For now, just stare in shock over the fact that Kagami actually dared to call Akashi out on his 'bad' modeling (gasp).

Anyways, if any of you was wondering what the heck is Akashi's problem in this chapter, well, Akashi's always been the type of character who always has to remain in charge, as confirmed by the most recent chapters of the KuroBasu manga. He's the type that doesn't bode well with taking orders from someone else because that makes him feel like the other person challenging his own authority. I thought it would be fitting to introduce this side of Akashi to this story. At least, it makes sense to me.

So what did you all think of their first photoshoot? Did you like the GoM's outfits, poses, and photoshoot locations? And was Akashi being totally unreasonable? Please let me know of your thoughts! Thank you!

**-Bird of Dreams**


	5. Fall Album II - A Sudden Encounter

**A/N: **When we left off with the last chapter of GoMod, many of you were saying how Kagami just made his death wish by opposing Akashi (these comments amused me greatly, by the way). Many of you also mentioned that you wanted to see some protective!GoM action. Well, I can tell you now that you need to look no further—things will really start to heat up between Kagami, Himuro, and the Generation of Miracles in this chapter. And leaving you with that note, I hope you all enjoy Chapter 5!

Many thanks as usual to the most amazing readers any author can ask for: _hitomi65, suicune4ever, yin13147, Guest (1), WriteLazy, yumeniai, Soul Vrazy, AspergianStoryteller, Sora Ai-chan, chibitomodachi, fasya, yukinome23, Guest (2), Kurorinny, ben4kevin, xbluerainbowx, mikan27lover, darkreverie13, Yuu3, BrokenBlackCat, Kuruizaki-hime, CashyHoray1.00, hiyomi, topaz830, bloodyhell95, Kiyoumi, Kuroshiroryuu, Peridot15, animebaka14, SelfcreatedCharacter, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, pkeane47, agitoooo, JennyPham7, FalteredGAIT, mangopudding, Drooling, narutofweak, musician-CEOwannabe, Sakura4eva, editguy34, AliceXShunMEGAFan17, Lylia00, Ayumu smile, Rugiku, Guest (3), 5stareader, TheReihani, Everlasting Snow Princess, Happy Teddy, deathlover25, EBBE, Fanfic lover, Hayashi Yuuki, InaMai, IsAHimawari, Eton, JackFrost14, samijackson, Oluhasuu, _and_ PetiteSkylark._

Summary: Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 5: Fall Album II - A Sudden Encounter**

"Who the hell are you?" Aomine demanded as he glared at the two newcomers.

"Me?" The tall redhead jabbed a finger toward himself. "Kagami Taiga."

"And I'm Himuro Tatsuya," the other teen spoke up. "We're part-time models."

"Part-time models?" Midorima said disdainfully. "I've never heard of you before."

"Indeed," Akashi crossed his arms. "So do tell me. What makes you think that lowly part-time models like yourselves have any right to criticize our modeling?"

"Heh." Kagami smirked. "I don't need to be a big shot model to know that your modeling absolutely sucks."

Akashi's eyes flashed angrily, but before he could say anything, Himuro quickly stepped forward. He held a restraining hand out in front of Kagami before saying, "I apologize for Taiga's...blunt words." Here, a serious tone crept into Himuro's voice. "But what he means to say—and I completely agree with him—is that your modeling completely lacks feeling." Himuro's eyes hardened. "I can't believe that the Generation of Miracles would actually model like this."

"And here I thought you actually had something important to say," Akashi scoffed. "Don't tell me you just plan on lecturing us about our so-called lack of passion like Tetsuya here."

Kagami and Himuro seemed to be shocked by Akashi's flippant attitude. "You...you don't even take modeling seriously..." Himuro said slowly, signs of anger beginning to creep up onto his face.

Aomine looked bored. "Why should we? That takes so much effort. And it's all the same thing anyways."

Midorima folded his arms across his chest. "Really, both of your 'holier-than-thou' attitude is really starting to annoy me. You think that just because you diligently continue to 'model with passion', you'll be able to make it big one day? I've never heard of such naive thinking."

"The only thing that matters is that we're good at what we do." Muraskibara said as he pulled out a small bag of chips, already looking as if he had lost all interest in the conversation.

Kuroko silently noted that Kise was the only one who didn't join in. In fact, the blond model looked rather troubled and uncomfortable with the current situation.

Akashi threw the two other models a haughty look. "Did you hear that? Talent is the only thing that matters in this world. It doesn't matter whether or not you have this 'passion' you speak of. So I suggest that the both of you take your ideals elsewhere—they're obviously unwanted and unnecessary here."

Hearing this, Kuroko lowered his head and looked away. Himuro, on the other hand, looked highly incensed. His fists were clenched by his side and it looked as if he were having a hard time restraining himself.

"With that kind of thinking, you'll reach your limits soon enough." Kagami said seriously. He raised a finger and pointed it at the Generation of Miracles. "I'll give all of you a warning so you better listen up. If you don't begin to take modeling seriously, one of these days, a new model will come out from behind and completely surpass all of you."

Akashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And whom exactly would this model be?"

Kagami looked completely confident when he responded with just a single word. "Me."

Aomine had heard enough. "Okay, you were annoying at first, but now you're just pissing me off. You really want to fight that much, huh?"

Kagami's smirk oozed confidence. "Bring it on."

Riko knew that now was the time to intervene. She quickly stepped in between the two models, who were trying to size each other up. "Alright, stop right there, both of you!" She jabbed a finger into Aomine's chest. "Aomine-kun, you should know better than to start a fight in the studio of all places!"

"What the hell, woman?" Aomine protested. "He was the one who freakin' provoked me first!"

Riko ignored Aomine and immediately turned to lecture a bewildered Kagami. "And you! Kagami Taiga or whoever you are. Who do you think you are, just barging into my photography studio like this? Don't you know that this is a _private_ studio? You can't just come and go as you please!"

Kagami at least had the sense to look slightly ashamed at this. "I...uhh..."

"_Taiga! Tatsuya!_" Everyone turned around at the sound of the sharp female voice. A women with long, blonde hair and red-rimmed glasses strolled in from the door. She crossed her arms as she glared at Kagami and Himuro, looking completely unamused.

At the sight of this blonde woman, Kagami and Himuro both sported identical guilty expressions.

"Wait, Alex, I can explain..." Kagami tried to appease her.

But the woman ignored Kagami's half-hearted excuses and immediately began to lecture them loudly in English. "_Taiga! Tatsuya! I leave the both of you alone for one second and you go and cause trouble! What do you have to say for yourselves?"_

Himuro quickly answered her, also answered in English, "_It was all Taiga's idea."_

Kagami looked annoyed. _"Oi! Tatsuya! The hell?"_

The woman raised an eyebrow. "_Taiga's idea, huh?"_

Himuro bobbed his head obediently. _"Yes, it's true. When Tagia heard that the famous photographer Kuro was going to be here, he..."_

"Ahem." Riko interrupted with her hands on her hips. "Do you mind speaking in Japanese so that we can actually understand what you're saying, Alex?"

"Oh, Riko!" The blonde woman quickly made the language shift. "I almost didn't see you there!"

"Of course, Alex," Riko replied dryly. "And to what do I owe this completely unexpected surprise?"

"Oh, you know," Alex responded flippantly. "I'm just here to pick up these two troublemakers." She reached up to pull on Kagami's and Himuro's ears, ignoring their protests and cries of pain.

"And who exactly is she, Riko?" Akashi asked, looking displeased at being out of the loop.

"Oh, right, I don't believe you've met," Riko gestured toward the blonde. "This here is Alexandra Garcia. She's an old friend of mine and a pretty well known model from several years ago."

"Well, I'm retired now," Alex said wryly. "Right now, I'm just the manager of these two idiots here." She tightened her hold on Kagami and Himuro. "I hope they didn't cause you all too much trouble? But, if they did, maybe a kiss would make it better?" She reached out to grab a completely bewildered Hyuuga and was about to plant one on him, but Riko quickly pulled him behind her.

"I see you still have that annoying habit of kissing anything that moves, Alex." Riko said matter-of-factly.

Alex chuckled. "Well, how else are you going to have fun in life? Anyways, we heard that you managed to snag yourselves a famous photographer for your project." Alex's eyes twinkled from behind her glasses. "Or more specifically, a certain Kuro. My cute Taiga and Tatsuya came all the way here to meet this Kuro of yours. Taiga especially is a huge fan of his pictures." She raised a finger to her lips and winked. "You think you can introduce him to us, Riko?"

Riko sighed as she shook her head. "You always act like this when you want something from me, Alex. But it's not my choice to make."

"Aww...think of it as a favor for an old friend, Riko dear." Alex pouted.

"It really isn't up to me to decide," Riko insisted. "Kuro-kun likes to keep his identify on the down low so it's up to him whether or not he wants to introduce himself."

Riko had just barely managed to finish her words when Kuroko suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of a shocked Kagami, Himuro, and Alex. "Hello, I am Kuro." Kuroko said, bowing. "My real name is Kuroko Tetsuya though. It is nice to meet you, Kagami-san, Himuro-san, Alex-san."

"What the heck, Tetsu?" Aomine immediately exclaimed. "You're not supposed to reveal yourself to the enemy so easily!"

Kuroko cocked his head. "It is fine, Aomine-kun. I feel that Kagami-san, Himuro-san, and Alex-san are trustworthy people. I do not believe they will reveal my identity to the public for their own gain or anything like that."

Alex blinked, before snapping out of her initial surprise. "Well, no one ever told me that Kuro was such a cutie!" She cooed, smiling widely. "Come here!"

"No kissing, Alex!" Riko immediately warned. Alex looked put off by these words, but she held herself back. Hyuuga laughed nervously from the sidelines. It looked like Riko had just managed to save Alex from an impending death by Akashi's scissors. Even now, he could see the redhead's sour expression as he reluctantly slid his scissors back inside his pocket.

"You're Kuro?" Himuro said disbelievingly. His expression of shock was a mirrored image of the Generation of Miracles' when they first met Kuroko.

Kagami walked forward, towering over Kuroko with his impressive height. He stared wordlessly at Kuroko for a long moment. Kagami must have seen something he liked in Kuroko's impassive expression because a moment later, he broke out into a wide grin and began to laugh loudly.

"I like you!" Kagami declared loudly, as he clapped a heavy hand on Kuroko's shoulder. "So you're Kuro, huh? Why don't you come and be our photographer instead? Me and Tatsuya are also doing the _Passage of Time_ project." He smirked as he jabbed a finger toward the Generation of Miracles. "And I'm sure you're tired of taking pictures for those people. So how about it?" He held out a hand for Kuroko to shake.

Kuroko stared curiously at Kagami's outstretched hand, but before he could respond, Aomine stepped forward and smacked the hand away. The tanned model had on a large scowl as he growled out his threat, "Keep your hands away from Tetsu!"

Kise quickly pulled Kuroko away, holding him protectively away from Kagami. For once, Akashi didn't call Kise out for 'touching Tetsuya without his permission'—it was just one indication of just how pissed off he was with Kagami. He, like the rest of the Generation of Miracles, had matching frowns on their faces.

"Attempting to snatch away our photographer like that? Such an uncivilized brute." Midorima said as his glasses flashed ominously. "I honestly wonder how someone with your type of bearing even became a model."

"Don't you dare insult Taiga!" Himuro immediately came to the defense of his friend.

Murasakibara had an uncharacteristic frown on his face. "Kuro-chin is not for you to take."

"Indeed," Akashi said. "Tetsuya belongs to us, the Generation of Miracles, not to some unknown low-level models."

"Hah!" Kagami scoffed. "So you only care about him when you're in danger of losing him? I saw how you treated Kuroko during that last picture. I say he's better off with us. At least he'll be with models who will actually listen to him, right, Tatsuya?"

Himuro nodded his agreement. "Kuroko-san is just wasting his talent on all of you."

Aomine just about had enough. "Okay, you asked for it." Aomine cracked his knuckles threateningly. "I sure as hell am not going to just stand aside and let you punks try and take Tetsu away."

"That's enough from all of you." Alex said as she put herself in the middle of the two groups. Aomine hesitated for a moment, before backing down with a dissatisfied, "Tch." Even he had his morals and would never bring himself to actually hit a woman.

But Kagami still looked as if he still had something to say. Alex frowned. "Taiga...I said, _down_." Showing utmost reluctance, Kagami finally rejoined Himuro behind Alex.

With the tension slightly diffused for now, Alex now turned to calmly address all the assembled models. "I want you all to please calm down. We have no intention of taking Kuroko-kun away from you. And if these two idiots made it seem as if we were," Here, she glared at Kagami and Himuro. "I apologize on their behalf."

Akashi looked slightly appeased by this. "That's very well and all, but..."

"But," Alex continued. "I wouldn't criticize them for what they said. In fact, I completely agree with them in saying that your modeling entirely lacks any sort passion." She stared Akashi straight in the eye. "You Generation of Miracles might be the top dogs of the modeling world now, but if you continue with the way you are now, your time of fame will end very soon. You're doing nothing more than just relying on your looks alone." Alex looked completely serious as she said her last words, "And a model who doesn't have his own style shouldn't even be called a model."

"We'll be sure to keep that in mind." Akashi said, smirking. He didn't look the slightest bit affected by Alex's words. The rest of the Generation of Miracles also looked equally bored or completely uninterested with Alex's lecture, but Kuroko noted that Kise alone looked almost...guilty?

Alex sighed when she saw that her words had no impact whatsoever. _Well, I tried... _"You best look after your models, Riko." she said.

Riko crossed her arms, looking very annoyed. "Hmph! I would have done that even if you didn't tell me to!"

Alex turned toward the door. "Well, it's about time we go now, Taiga, Tatsuya. We've troubled them enough for the day." Kagami and Himuro turned to follow, still looking extremely dissatisfied by the turn of events.

So Kagami turned around to deliver one final quip. "I'm warning you," he jabbed his finger at the nearest member of the Generation of Miracles—who just so happened to be Kise. "One of these days, you'll slip up and then you'll see you your limit as a model," Kise looked shocked at being addressed so unexpectedly and suddenly seemed to look unsure of himself.

As Alex walked pass Kuroko on her way out the door, she was stopped when Kuroko suddenly murmured a quiet, "Thank you for what you said earlier, Alex-san."

The blonde manager looked surprised at Kuroko's unexpected words. She regarded him silently for a moment as he stared expressionlessly back at her. A small smile quirked up on her lips. _Hmm...he's an interesting one all right. _"Work hard, Mr. Photographer," she said, ruffling his hair. Without another word, the three of them walked out the door.

"Alex!" Kagami protested as they walked down the flight of stairs outside. "Is it really alright to just leave like this?"

Himuro nodded. "Taiga's right. I mean, it didn't even seem like they took your message seriously."

"And we didn't even convince Kuroko to become our photographer yet!" Kagami protested. "I still think he's better off with us!"

At the mention of Kuroko, Himuro looked curiously at his manager. "What did you think of him, Alex?"

"What do I think of Kuroko Tetsuya?" Alex smiled. "Well, at first glance, he doesn't seem like much. He clearly doesn't give off much of a presence, but he's definitely someone who's more than meets the eye. I can tell that his skills are clearly the real thing." She ran a careless hand through her hair as she looked up into the sky. "I say that the Generation of Miracles are in good hands for now." _Kuroko Tetsuya, huh? If it's you, you might be able to do it._

* * *

A few rays of sunlight peeked through the few clouds that were scattered about the impossibly blue sky. All the while, a gentle breeze picked up among the trees, rustling through leaves dappled with various shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. The weather was nice and cool and the crisp smell of autumn was in the air. It was a perfect day for a leisurely stroll, much like the one that Kuroko was currently taking.

Tetsuya #2 was obviously enjoying the walk as he ran ahead of his owner, happily barking away at the gently falling leaves. It's such a peaceful day, Kuroko thought idly to himself, a complete contrast to what was currently happening in the modeling world.

The black and white husky seemed to have suddenly found something of interest as it came bounding back to Kuroko with playful barks. A small smile appeared on Kuroko's face. "What is it, #2?"

#2 nudged at Kuroko's legs, as if urging him to follow him. So Kuroko did, allowing his pet to lead him down the road until they stopped in front of a white photography studio.

Kuroko looked mildly surprised as they stood at the front of the building. "Isn't this where Kise-kun's job photoshoot is today?" he said. #2 merely wagged his tail, looking pleased with himself.

The photographer cocked his head to the side and thought back to Kagami and Himuro's confrontation with the Generation of Miracles yesterday. Everyone had looked relatively unaffected by the two other models, but Kise in particular, had looked pretty out of it ever since that encounter. An image of Kise's stunned face after hearing Kagami's final words suddenly surfaced into Kuroko's mind.

Kuroko decided to follow his intuition, so acting on the spur of the moment, he decided to check up on Kise's photoshoot. Sneaking in to the photography studio proved to be a fairly easy task for Kuroko and he soon made his way into the room where Kise's shoot was held.

There, the blond model was seen leaning up against a crème-colored wall. He was donned in a loose sleeveless white shirt, a small black vest, a gray circle scarf, tight red pants with a silver belt slung along the side, a pair of high tops, and a fedora. Kise currently had his hands in his pants pocket and was smirking into the camera.

"Hmm...that's a good pose, Kise-kun," Kuroko heard the director say. "But I'm looking for something a little different. I want a more 'cool' type of feel to match the style of clothes you are wearing, you know what I mean?"

Kuroko caught the brief flash of worry that crossed Kise's face before it was smoothed out with a bright smile. "Yeah, got it, director!"

The director looked pleased. "Excellent! So would you mind trying out another pose then, Kise-kun?"

Kise grinned. "Sure thing. Okay, how about this?" Kise ran a hand through his hair and placed a his other hand on his hips.

The director pursed his lips. "No...no, that's not quite the feel I'm going for either..." The worry in Kise's eyes was more prominent now.

At this point in time, whispers began to break out amongst the watching staff members. "It's rare for Kise-kun to have to take this many photos." the makeup artist whispered to her friend.

"I know, right? Do you think he's having an off day?"

"Maybe...Kise-kun really doesn't seem like himself today..."

Kise acted as if he did not overhear their conversation, but Kuroko could tell from the growing panic in Kise's eyes that their words had greatly unsettled him.

"Kise-kun, why don't you try it one more time?" the director encouraged. "Remember, I'm aiming for a 'cool' type of feel."

"Gotcha, director!" Outwardly, Kise seemed as happy and optimistic as ever, but upon closer observation, Kise looked as if his nerves were about to spill over.

"Okay, I'll take the picture now then," the director moved to position himself behind the camera. "Please get into your pose in 3...2...1..."

It was obvious that Kise had not thought this through yet, so in his blind panic, Kise did the first pose that popped into his head: he shifted his head into a profile view angle, raised his fingers up to slightly parted lips, and shot a smirk into the camera.

Kise's newest pose was met with stunned silence from the entire studio. But it was not the good type of stunned silence. Murmurs and whispers immediately began to break out once again.

"Hey, doesn't that pose look an awful lot like Aomine-kun's pose from that watch advertisement that was just released?"

"You think so too? I thought it looked familiar..."

"But what's Kise-kun thinking using Aomine-kun's pose like that?"

"Mm...but it doesn't really suit him, does it?"

"Kise-kun..." The blond model didn't have to look at the director's face to tell that he had completely let down his expectations—the disappointed tone told Kise all he needed to hear.

Kise tried to cover up the obvious distress on his face by plastering on a wide smile. "Haha, sorry about that. Uhm, I'm actually not feeling too well at the moment so if you excuse me..." Without another word, he quickly rushed out of the studio.

Kise was all intent on running to his changing room and locking himself in there, but he was suddenly stopped when someone grabbed hold of his arm. He turned around and was shocked to see Kuroko, who was carrying a black and white puppy in one hand and holding onto his arm with the other.

Kuroko stared up expressionlessly at the still startled Kise before saying, "Why don't we take a walk, Kise-kun?"

* * *

**A/N: **Some of you mentioned in the previous chapter that Kise already seemed to be overly reliant on Kuroko's instructions. Now that Kagami has thoroughly insulted their style of modeling, it's not surprising to see Kise's confidence get shaken up, right?

Anyways, I hope you all liked Kagami, Himuro, and even Alex's appearances! Their encounter will serve as a triggering point for Kise's development, which will further be explained in the next chapter. Until then, I hope that all of you can leave me with your thoughts on Kagami, Himuro, Alex, the protective!GoM vs Kagami, Kise's worries, or anything in between. Thank you!

**-Bird of Dreams**


	6. Fall Album III - A Call for Change

**A/N: **It's now well into the fall season where I'm at, which means that beautiful fall scenery is just about everywhere! When you read this chapter, you'll probably realize that the gorgeous leaves/ scenery had a great influence on my writing haha. Anyways, I apologize for not being able to reply to all of your reviews yet, but I wanted to post an update for you all as soon as possible. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter and Happy (soon-to-be) Thanksgiving, everyone!

Oh, I'm not sure whether or not you're aware of it, but I just recently got a tumblr! Yes, I know this is really random, but I just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to check it out. The link is on my profile. Since I'm fairly new to this, my tumblr is far from complete, but I'm hoping to possibly upload some of my stories to it in the future!

And now to thank all my wonderful reviewers _chibitomodachi, StardustDreams, DreamingSkies, Kiyoumi, cancer718, mikan27lover, AspergianStoryteller, hitomi65, Kuruizaki-hime, yin13147, Pri-chan 1410, Lylia00, Soul Vrazy, JennyPham7, xMythrilMist, Kitty, xbluerainbowx, AnimeXMangaAddict, yumeniai, topaz38c, ben4kevin, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, bloodyhell95, xXHalfPrinceXx, Kuroshiroryuu, isthisparadise, Peridot15, hiyomi, mangopudding, Q3APo, BlackCatAnimeGirl, xxTenshichaN25xx, Everlasting Snow Princess, InaMai, narutofweak, Kurorinny, Aiko Yamazaki, Ayumu smile, TheReihani, Rugiku, mochicocoa, FalteredGAIT, BrokenBlackCat, IsAHimawari, Guest, WaiiKitsune, mm, vanilla Pen, StupidMeong, deathlover25, and shiarein._ I bestow all of you with Internet pumpkin pie~

**Summary:** Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 6: Fall Album III - A Call for Change**

Both Kuroko and Kise remained silent as they walked through the grove of trees. An occasional gust of autumn wind rustled through the trees, sending down a gentle cascade of vibrant red, glowing sunset, and golden colored leaves.

Tetsuya #2 ran happily ahead of the other two, oblivious of the serious mood behind him. Kise walked several steps behind Kuroko, plodding along with his shoulders slumped. He broke the silence a few minutes later. "Sorry you had to see that bad side of me, Kurokocchi," Kise said lightly. "I guess I'm just having a bad day."

Kuroko continued to walk down the brick path, still not saying a word. The fake smile slipped off Kise's face. "Heh. You must think that I'm so pathetic, Kurokocchi."

Kuroko stopped and turned around for the first time. "Why do you say that, Kise-kun?"

"Why do I say that?" Kise chuckled humorlessly. "You saw what happened back there. You're an observant person, Kurokocchi, so I'm sure you noticed it by now." Kise looked pained. "I...I can only..."

"You can only copy the poses of other models." Kuroko said the words that Kise couldn't bring himself to say.

"So you have figured it out," Kise said, giving Kuroko that same wounded smile. "I knew it was foolish to think that I could hide it from you...but Kurokocchi was the last person I wanted to find out." The model gave a disheartened sigh. "So did I let you down as well?"

"The problem isn't about letting me down, Kise-kun," Kuroko said quietly. "The real question is whether or not you let yourself down."

"I...I..." Kise faltered for an answer before looking away. "It doesn't matter what I think. I just didn't want to disappoint Kurokocchi."

"Why does my opinion matter so much to you?" Kuroko asked, looking openly curious.

"You don't understand, Kurokocchi. Your opinion means everything to me." At Kuroko's inquisitive stare, Kise gave a wistful smile. "I really admire your pictures, Kurokocchi. Every single one of your photos hold so much depth and feeling...it's the complete opposite from my modeling which relies only on copying others' styles."

Kise shook his head and continued in the same pensive tone. "You see, I was taking a walk one day when I happened to stumble upon one of your pictures that was displayed on a billboard. Up until then, I didn't really have much of a purpose in life." Kise smiled humorlessly. "Call me arrogant, but I was just naturally good at anything I did so nothing really interested me."

A fond look entered Kise's eyes. "But when I saw your picture, it stirred up something deep inside of me. I-I never felt so strongly about anything else before. I knew then and there that I would do anything to be able to do a photoshoot with you. And so I became inspired to take up modeling." He looked to Kuroko and smiled softly. "You are the one who influenced me to become a model, Kurokocchi."

Kuroko was silent for a moment. "I see. I appreciate the fact that you think so highly of my pictures, but I have just one thing to ask you."

Kise nodded earnestly. "Anything, Kurokocchi."

"Do you enjoy modeling?"

"Of course I..." he paused for a moment. "I...I don't know..." Kise whispered honestly, looking shocked as if he had realized this only now.

"You said that you went into modeling because of me, Kise-kun," Kuroko continued. "But what if I say that I decide to quit photography? Would it mean that you would also stop modeling if that happens?"

"I..." Kise faltered for a moment before thinking back to his modeling career. All the good and the bad times, all the friends he had been able to meet, all the memories that he was able to create—it was all due to modeling. Modeling had finally given him a way to define himself, an outlet for Kise to be the person he truly wanted to be.

"No," Kise said firmly. "You may have inspired me to take up modeling, Kurokocchi, but modeling has become a part of me now. It _is_ me. I won't give it up no matter what."

Kuroko seemed pleased with Kise's answer as a small smile curved up his lips. "Then that's all that matters."

"No it isn't!" Kise exclaimed. "It doesn't matter if I like it! Don't you understand, Kurokocchi? The only thing that matters in the modeling world is whether you're good at it or not!"

"Is that what you really think?"

"Yes!" Kise dropped his head into his hands. "It is like Akashicchi said. Talent is the only thing that matters."

Kuroko studied Kise for a moment. "You're afraid." he noted quietly.

Kise looked stunned. "What? I-"

"You're afraid to change your current method of modeling." Kuroko said. "You want to create and showcase your own style, but you're not confident enough of your own skills. So you copy other peoples' poses in order to-"

"I'm not like the others!" Kise cried, a desperate note entering his voice now. "Can't you see? I'm not like the rest of the Generation of Miracles—I can't be confident like Aominecchi, cool like Murasakibaracchi, self-assured like Midorimacchi, or imposing like Akashicchi!" He kept his head lowered, sounding completely defeated. "I'm just...me..."

Instead of responding, Kuroko lifted up a hand and caught two leaves as they fluttered down from a tree. "Take a look at these leaves here, Kise-kun," Kuroko said, gesturing to the maple red and dappled golden-yellow leaf that lay on his open palm. "Would you say that one of these leaves look better than the other?"

"What?" Kise looked confused. "I...no? But what does this-"

"That is correct. Even though one of them is red and the other is yellow, both of them are just leaves in the end." Kuroko said. "Just because they differ in color, it doesn't mean that one looks 'better' than the other. Each has its own type of beauty so it is subjective to say that one is superior."

He looked up at Kise. "This applies to modeling as well, Kise-kun. Like these leaves, each model has his or her own distinct style and appeal. It's not something that can be readily compared to another model's."

"But, Kurokocchi, I..."

"Anyone's style can be seen as beautiful as long as the model himself is willing to create and showcase a style that truly defines who he is," Kuroko continued. "But the true question is, will you be able to step out your comfort zone in order to develop this style of yours?" He stared Kise directly in the eyes. "Will you be willing to embrace the change, Kise-kun?"

Kise looked away first. "I want to, Kurokocchi," he said in a pained voice. "Believe me when I say that I really do want to. But I-I don't know how to start." His hands curled into fists by his side. "There's so much to-"

"No one is expecting you to make that change overnight, Kise-kun." Kuroko said. "You don't have to push yourself. Just like how these fall leaves slowly change their colors, it's perfectly fine to develop your own pace and to adopt this change gradually."

Kise was now looking at Kuroko with wide eyes. "Do...Do you think I can do it, Kurokocchi?" he asked uncertainly.

"I don't know," Kuroko answered in his usual blunt and truthful manner. "But you never know what's going to happen if you don't give up trying. And if you want my honest opinion, Kise-kun, the fact that you are able to acknowledge your own weakness means that Kise-kun is already a step ahead of the rest of the Generation of Miracles."

Kuroko's eyes widened slightly when he was suddenly engulfed in a tight hug. "Kise-kun?"

Kise only tightened his hold in response. "Sorry, Kurokocchi. But please let me stay like this a little longer."

Kuroko sighed lightly, but made no movement to push Kise off. Both photographer and model stood like that as the fall leaves continued to dance and flutter lightly around them.

* * *

Everyone looked surprised when Kise suddenly walked back into the studio with a determined expression on his face. Before the director could ask where he had been, Kise took everyone by surprise when he bowed low to the director. "I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier, director," Kise said, head still down. "It was completely unprofessional for me to act that way."

The director blinked before recomposing himself. "Please don't worry about it, Kise-kun. I understand that we all have off days."

"If you are okay with it, director, I would like to redo those last pictures again." Kise said.

Hearing these words, the director looked a bit unsure. "Are you sure, Kise-kun? You don't have to push yourself. We can hold this off to another day if you're-"

"Director, please."

The director saw the determined look in the model's eyes. "Very well then." He went back to adjust his camera. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."

Kise nodded and walked back to stand in front of the backdrop. He took a deep breath, attempting to block out the whispered comments of the other staff members.

"I'm ready when you are, Kise-kun." At the director's words, a brief look of nervousness flashed across Kise's face again. He shot an uncertain look at Kuroko, who stood inconspicuously by the corner. Kuroko met Kise's eyes and gave him a short nod. The nod seemed to reassure Kise as his eyes once again sharpened with determination.

Kise closed his eyes briefly and thought back to the last words that Kuroko said to him. "_Remember, Kise-kun, you don't have to force yourself to follow a specific style. Just do what _you_ feel is right._"

The director counted down. "And in 3...2...1..."

Kise's eyes snapped open. _I'll show you, Kurokocchi! I'll show it to everyone. My own style!_

At the camera's flash, Kise leaned casually against the backdrop, bringing one leg up to prop against the wall behind him. He lifted a hand up to his fedora, tilting it down to his face as he shot a playful wink and smile into the camera.

The effect was almost instantaneous—admiring looks appeared on everyone's faces as awed whispers broke out amongst the rest of the staff members.

"Now that's the Kise-kun I know and admire!"

"No wonder he's part of the Generation of Miracles!"

"That pose seems to fit Kise-kun perfectly."

The director finished with one last flash of the camera and smiled widely. "That was excellent, Kise-kun. It wasn't what I originally had in mind, but I must say, you really made it work. Please keep up the good work." He said as he clapped a hand to the model's back.

Kise was positively glowing. "Thank you, director! I'll try my best to!"

As Kuroko watched this whole scene from the corner, a small smile appeared on his face. Looks like there was no need to worry about Kise anymore.

* * *

"I'm not wearing this!"

"Yes you are!"

"Tch. Why the hell do I have to wear this of all things anyways?"

"Because I said so! No objections!"

Aomine and Riko stood with their arms crossed, glaring at each other. The tanned model, along with the rest of the Generation of Miracles were currently wearing matching light blue collared shirts, black ties, white sweaters, and pressed black pants—an outfit very similar to that of a school uniform.

Hyuuga stepped in between the arguing duo and tried to play the mediator. "What Riko means to say is, Aomine-kun, your next photoshoot for the Fall Album is school-themed so-"

"Don't bother, I pretty much figured that out on my own when the both of you dragged us all here and forced us into these uniforms." Aomine said. He looked disdainfully down at his current outfit. "But really? A school uniform? You couldn't have thought of anything better?"

"Daiki does raise a fair point, Riko." Akashi said. "I thought the point of this project was to promote ourselves in a series of various photoshoots. Yet here we are wearing simple school uniforms."

Riko grit her teeth together. "You're all completely missing the point!" she exclaimed. "Kuroko-kun, Hyuuga-kun, and I already thoroughly thought this out! Having a school-themed photoshoot would be very appropriate for the Fall Album, not only because most people associate the fall season with the start of school, but also because it's unique compared to the rest of your photoshoots."

She crossed her arms. "Since all of you usually model elaborate, designer-brand clothing, this shift to a simpler school uniform look serves as a nice contrast. People appreciate models in casual-type clothing too, you know?" Riko smirked. "And I know for a fact that your fans would _really_ like to see you wearing school uniforms. It makes all of you seem more within reach to them since you're wearing clothes similar to theirs."

The manager smirked triumphantly as a familiar glint appeared in her eyes. "As a wise man once said: don't underestimate the appeal of a school uniform!" Already used to such antics, Hyuuga did nothing more than sigh lightly at Riko's bold statement.

Aomine raised a dubious brow and scoffed. "What wise man?"

"That aside, I suppose it's a reasonable train of thought." Midorima allowed. "And my horoscope did say that my lucky item of the day is a school notebook..."

"That is a pretty logical explanation," Akashi said, nodding. "Alright, let's see how this goes."

"It would be interesting to attend school," Murasakibara commented as he munched on his bag of pretzels.

"Right. Sounds like fun." Aomine said sarcastically.

"Come on, Aominecchi, it's not that bad." Kise said brightly. "Don't you want to show off your youth and charm as a high school student?"

Everyone chose to ignore Kise (to the blond's everlasting disappointment). "So where exactly will we be having this photoshoot?" Akashi asked.

"We will be having it at Seisen Academy."

Even though they should be more or less used to it by now, everyone still jumped when Kuroko suddenly materialized out of nowhere.

"I told you to stop doing that, Tetsu," Aomine complained.

Merely raising a single eyebrow at Kuroko's sudden appearance, Akashi asked again, "Where did you say we were holding the photoshoot, Tetsuya?"

"Seisen Academy." Kuroko repeated. "That's the public school where your school uniforms are from."

"And why exactly are you dressed like that?" Midorima cut in, throwing a highly affronted look at Kuroko's outfit. It was only then that the rest of the Generation of Miracles realized that Kuroko had also wore the same exact school uniform they had on, with the addition of a pair of black glasses and a soft, white beanie that covered most of his hair.

"Ah, I'm going incognito." Kuroko said expressionlessly.

"Originally, we were a bit skeptical about holding this photoshoot in a public school since we didn't want to reveal Kuroko-kun's identity as Kuro to the public," Hyuuga explained in response to the Generation of Miracles' puzzled looks. "But Kuroko-kun insisted to hold the photoshoot there since taking the pictures at an actual school would give them a more realistic feel."

"It should be fine though," Riko said. "We figured that since Kuroko-kun has such an invisible presence, the general public would probably not notice him. We decided to disguise him as a student as an extra precaution, but I don't think we have to worry about his cover being blown."

"Well, now that that problem has been redressed what are we still waiting for?" Akashi gave a thin smile. "It's time to go back to school."

* * *

Excited whispers broke out amongst the watching students as the five models of the Generation of Miracles, accompanied by Kuroko, Riko, and Hyuuga, strolled in through the gates of Seisen Academy.

"I heard that the Generation of Miracles are having a photoshoot here today!" One of the girls whispered excitedly to her friend.

"No way!" she squealed in response. "_The _Generation of Miracles?"

"Yes, the very one! Don't they all look so hot?"

"Omigod omigod I must be dreaming! I never thought I could see Akashi-kun in real life!"

"Kyaaaa~ Kise-kun looked this way! I LOVE YOU KISE-KUN!"

"Midorima-kun looks so cool! I just love his glasses!"

"Aaaaaahh! Aomine-kun's wearing our school uniform! It looks so good on him!"

"Murasakibara-kun's so cute! Look, he's snacking again!"

The rest of the student body parted a respective distance away from the Generation of Miracles (one of the written guidelines they agreed to follow if they wanted to be the school that hosted the photoshoot) as the models made their way to the school's entrance.

As they neared the entrance, the five models were suddenly met with two people they definitely did not expect to see. Shocked expressions flickered across everyone's faces.

"It's you!" Aomine exclaimed, recovering first. He jabbed a finger at the tall redhead and the black-haired student that stood next to him. "The hell are you doing here?"

"What are we doing here?" Kagami Taiga growled back with narrowed eyes. "I should be asking you that instead. What the hell are you doing at my school?"

* * *

**A/N: ** And Kagami and Himuro make a reappearance! I bet you didn't expect them to come back this soon. So to quickly clarify, the second photoshoot of the GoM's Fall Album is school-themed. And on the way to the photoshoot site, they just so happened to end up in the same school as Kagami and Himuro. Hmm...coincidence? I think not.

'Seisen' Academy is a mix of Seiren (Kagami's school) and Yosen (Himuro's school), if anyone was curious. And the school uniforms the Generation of Miracles are wearing/ the school uniforms of Seisen in general are the ones that the GoM wore back in their Teikou days. Whew! I know it's a whole mash-up of different things, but I hope it's not too confusing haha.

I also realized after I wrote it that this chapter was sorta split between Kise's problem and the introduction of the next photoshoot, but I didn't want to split the chapter in half and make you all wait again. I hope the flow wasn't affected too much because of this.

Anyways, what did you think? Did you feel happy for Kise after he regained some of his confidence and dare I say passion for modeling? Isn't Kuroko such a good advice giver? Did you like the new photoshoot theme? And last but not least, what did you think about the twist at the end? Looks like it's time for Kagami vs GoM round 2! Please let me know of your thoughts! Thanks!

**-Bird of Dreams**


	7. Fall Album IV - Back to School

**A/N: **I'm so sorry for the longer than usual update. I actually put myself on a short writing hiatus because I needed to study for Finals, augh... Anyways, now that I'm on break, the updates will (hopefully) be more consistent for now!

Okay, so I received several questions about this so I'll clarify here: the GoM and Kuroko are around high school age in this AU, so they are all 17-18 years old. Same with Kagami and Himuro who are in their third and final year of school. The GoM don't attend school though because they are professional full-time models so they get like private tutors and stuff. And as stated before, Kagami and Himuro are only part-time models so yes, they still go to school.

Also, thank you to _AspergianStoryteller_ and _sunstar13_ for pointing out to me that school in Japan actually starts in the spring, not fall. I apologize if this factual error bugs you, but I decided to go with the US schooling system where school starts up during the fall. Yes, I know that the GoM are in Japan and therefore I should go with the Japanese schooling system, but for the sake of the story, please just go along with what I have for now.

And now to thank all my wonderful reviewers _suicune4ever, TheRabbit3, Kiyoumi, StardustDreams, Soul Vrazy, BabyKangaroo, LycheeLove, Lylia00, cancer718, Guest, skywright, mangopudding, InaMai, Tanokuya, Kurorinny, Harco8059, mochicocoa, chibitomodachi, Pri-chan 1410, AspergianStoryteller, Desi, ben4kevin, yin13147, Kuruizaki-hime, mikan27lover, hitomi65, editguy65, kp, JennyPham7, Narutopokefan, xMythrilMist, Kitty, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, sunstar13, SharinganUserZ, Poosa-ard, xxTenshichaN25xx, xbluerainbowx, topaz38c, Rugiku, Yuu, Ayumu smile, DarkAdarah, WaiiKitsune, Critic4Life, Dareagon, hiyomi, BrokenBlackCat, jaeriaxabielle, SelfcreatedCharacter, 07Eve, spiel, Darkbalsara, foxare, krystalanimeheart, Neellok, Rika-chi, kity132383, fan girl 666, __animebaka14, _and _Yuu3._

**Summary:** Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 7: Fall Album IV - Back to School**

Midorima had the expression of someone who had just discovered that they had stepped on a pile of fresh dog feces. "My horoscope warned me that I would have an unfortunate encounter today," he began disdainfully. "But of all people, I never imagined that I would have to come across the two of you again."

Himuro frowned at the insult. "I do believe that it was Taiga who asked you a question first. What business do you have with us at our school?"

"What business do we have with the both of you?" Akashi scoffed. "Please, don't flatter yourselves. As if we would ever seek out the likes of you two. And besides, even if we did have some order of business here, why would I disclose that to the likes of you?"

Kagami took a step forward. "Damn you, bast-"

"We're not here to pick a fight, Kagami-kun, Himuro-kun," Riko quickly intervened as she stepped in between the two groups. "We just have a photoshoot scheduled here today, right, Hyuuga-kun?"

Hyuuga quickly nodded. "It's true. This is our assigned location for our photoshoot today. We honestly had no idea that this was the school you were attending."

"Photoshoot?" Himuro looked surprised.

Kagami perked up at the mention of a photoshoot. "Hey Tatsuya, if the Generation of Miracles are having a photoshoot that would mean that_ he_ should be here." He scanned the crowd before his eyes stopped on a certain blue-haired teen. Kagami grinned widely. "Hey Kuro!-"

"Kuroko-san, it's an honor to be able to meet with you again." Himuro quickly interrupted as he slapped a hand across Kagami's mouth.

"Mmph!" Kagami protested angrily from behind Himuro's hand. "What was that for, Tatsuya?" he demanded after the other teen removed his hand a moment later. "I was just trying to greet Kuro-"

"Taiga, think before you act for once!" Himuro whispered furiously as he dragged the taller redhead down to his level with his tie. "Do you really want to be the one to reveal 'Kuro's' identity to the public?"

It was only then that Kagami seemed to realize that they were indeed surrounded by a crowd of curious students who were watching their every move intently. "Oh...good call, Tatsuya."

"What an utter fool." Midorima sneered. "It appears that you truly can't grasp the meaning behind the phrase 'look before you leap'."

"No wonder you're known as Bakagami..." Aomine muttered under his breath.

"Good call indeed, Himuro-kun," Riko said. "Thanks for reacting to the situation so quickly. It would have been bad if 'that' were to be leaked out." She threw a displeased glance at Kagami's direction.

"It's no problem, Riko-san," Himuro replied. "I only wish to apologize on Taiga's behalf."

"Hey! It was an honest mistake!" Kagami protested.

"Thank you for helping to protect my identity, Himuro-san," Kuroko said. "As a token of my appreciation, would you like to watch the photoshoot?"

Himuro was incredulous. "Watch your photoshoot?"

"What?" Aomine exclaimed. "Oi, Tetsu, don't go deciding stuff like this on your own!"

"Of course, Kagami-kun is free to watch as well if he wishes to," Kuroko continued. "I understand that his earlier blunder was completely unintentional."

"I don't approve of this at all," Midorima said, crossing his arms.

"Let Kagamicchi watch our modeling?" Kise repeated. "Sounds interesting!" He clenched a fist by his side as a determined gleam entered his eyes. _I want to show them just how much I have improved!_

Murasakibara waved his lollipop around casually. "What does Aka-chin have to say about this?"

"You're not going to stand for this, right, Akashi?" Aomine demanded.

Akashi seemed to contemplate for a moment. "No, leave it be, Daiki," he finally said, shocking everyone with his announcement. His mismatched eyes hardened. "In fact, this will be a good opportunity." He threw an unflinching stare at Kagami and Himuro. "We'll show you what it means to be a first-rate model. You'll realize soon enough just how out of our league you are."

The self-assured leader of the Generation of Miracles took a step forward. "In fact, why not let the entire student body watch?" Akashi declared loudly. "They can all pay witness to our superiority."

Akashi's bold announcement drew forth excited whispers from the watching students.

"We get to watch the Generation of Miracles model live?"

"I can't believe we're so lucky!"

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves now, Akashi-kun..." Riko said, throwing an apprehensive glance at the increasingly restless crowd.

"Damn cocky bastard." Kagami growled. "I'll wipe that smirk off your face yet."

Akashi gave an amused smirk. "I'd like to see you try."

Riko threw an uneasy glance at Hyuuga, who shrugged his shoulders helplessly. The situation had escalated far more quickly than they had expected. "Well, if Kuroko-kun and Akashi-kun are fine with it, I don't see why not?" Hyuuga said tentatively.

"Fine," Riko sighed loudly. "I swear, the bunch of you are always dragging me into troublesome situations..."

* * *

"No pushing! If you want to watch, stand at a respectable distance and remain silent throughout the entire photoshoot! No laughing, giggling, or whispering allowed!" Riko commanded. "And don't you even think of trying to take pictures of the models with your phones or cameras during the photoshoot. The Generation of Miracles is a group protected under the Teikou Modeling Agency so I can sue you up to a hundred million yen and more for taking a picture of them without their permission!"

The Generation of Miracles, Kuroko, Riko, Hyuuga, Kagami, Himuro, and what seemed to be like three-fourths of the entire student body of Seisen Academy were currently crammed into the small classroom at the end of the hallway. Kuroko and Hyuuga were busy setting up for the photoshoot while Riko was on full-out manager mode as she policed the vicinity.

"Hey you!" Riko snapped. "Yes, you there! I see you with your camera phone! You better put that away unless you want me to file a lawsuit against you!" Riko yelled at the frightened girl who quickly stuffed her phone back into her pocket. "And you, Hyuuga-kun!" she rounded on her assistant. "Why aren't you helping? Can't you see that there's a lot to be done?"

"Actually, I think you're doing perfectly fine by yourself." Hyuuga commented wryly. "And it seems that Kise-kun is doing his fair share of work as well." He said, referring to the blond model who was surrounded by a horde of girls.

"Aww, but why can't we take pictures of you when you model, Kise-kun?" One of the female students whined.

"I really appreciate your support," Kise said. "But if you truly do support us, you'll wait to buy the pictures from this photoshoot after the actual album is released." Kise winked playfully and raised a single finger to his lips. "Won't you please do that for me?"

The combined power of Kise's overwhelming pheromones and his playful gesture left all the surrounding girls starstruck. "Of course we will, Kise-kun!" They chorused dutifully.

"Haha, thanks!"

Hyuuga shook his head good-humoredly. "Like I said, Kise seems to be taking care of things over there as well."

As everybody scurried about, preparing for the photoshoot, Aomine wandered over to where Kuroko was setting up his camera near the back of the room. "Hey, you sure you want to do this, Tetsu?" Aomine murmured to the photographer. "I mean, this whole thing's just a waste of time, isn't it?"

Aomine was shocked that instead of agreeing with him, Kuroko straightened up from where he was adjusting his camera and looked him directly in the eyes. "I'm perfectly fine with the current arrangements actually. Also, it wouldn't do you good to take this so lightly, Aomine-kun. I hope that you will be able to model to the best of your ability." And with those words, Kuroko walked away, leaving behind a completely dumbfounded Aomine.

"The heck, Tetsu?" the tanned model muttered as he scratched his head.

Hyuuga's voice pulled Aomine out from his thoughts. "Aomine-kun, we're nearly ready with the set-up here," he said. "Please proceed to your places." Riko moved to front of the classroom, throwing one last 'I'm watching you' look at the female students, as the Generation of Miracles took their places by the desks near the back of the room.

When Aomine walked to the back to rejoin his fellow models, he passed by Kagami and Himuro, who were watching intently near the front.

"Show me what you got, 'Generation of Miracles'." Kagami muttered to Aomine as they crossed paths.

"Tch. Just watch and learn, amateur." Aomine replied.

Kuroko put the final touches in adjusting his camera and gave a nod to the assembled models. "As you know, the theme of the photoshoot this time is 'back to school'," Kuroko said. "So the focus is to embody the spirit and character of the normal high school student you are supposed to be portraying, rather than to just showcase the school uniform you are wearing."

"The spirit of a high school student?" Kise said with a grin. "You mean like this?" The blond model leaned casually against a desk, raised his hand in a peace sign, and shot his trademark wink and a cheerful smile at the crowd, earning a slight smile from Kuroko and giggles from their spectators.

"Oh, Kise-kun is just too cute!" The girls tittered giddily.

"Ryouta, what do you think you're doing?" Akashi said sharply. At the redhead's cold tone, the rest of the room immediately fell silent. Kise's smile melted off his face as he threw an uncertain glance back at his leader. "This isn't time to be fooling around," Akashi continued. "Get back in place."

One could see an almost immediate slump in Kise's shoulders as Akashi's words tore his previous confidence into pieces. "Sorry, Akashicchi," Kise murmured as quietly he settled back at his place behind Akashi.

A small frown crossed Kuroko's face at the sight of this. Kagami scowled widely and threw a pointed glare at the other redhead. Even the rest of the students threw slightly affronted looks in Akashi's direction.

"Well, are we starting anytime soon, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked, a hint of impatience creeping into his voice.

"Yes, we can go ahead and get started right away if that is what you wish, Akashi-kun," Kuroko said, as calm and patient as ever. He lowered his eye to the camera. "Okay then, in 3...2...1..."

Akashi—who seated in the middle as always—raised both hands up to settle below his chin, and smirked into the camera. Murasakibara and Midorima, who were seated at the desks directly next to Akashi, followed the redhead's lead as they each propped a hand below their chins and shot a cool look at the audience. Aomine, to Midorima's right, paired his aloof look by running a hand through his hair and a more subdued Kise, who sat to Murasakibara's left, followed suit by crossing his arms and wearing a detached expression.

Despite Riko's repeated warnings, the rest of the students couldn't refrain from making their own whispered comments.

"Wow, the Generation of Miracles all look really good!" One student gushed.

"Yeah, I can totally see why they are models." Another captivated student said.

A smug smirk appeared on Akashi's face when he heard these comments. He waited for Kuroko to finish taking his pictures and was about to throw a snide comment at Kagami when a sudden comment made him freeze in his tracks.

"But doesn't it feel like something's missing?" A student said with a frown.

This first comment seemed to start off a chain reaction of sorts. "Now that you mention it, something does feel kinda off..."

"You think so too? I thought it was just me."

Riko and Hyuuga exchanged worried looks. "This was what I feared would happen..." Riko whispered.

Himuro shook his head. "You disappoint me, 'Generation of Miracles'. It seems that your modeling hasn't improved at all from the last time we met."

Kagami stepped forward and jabbed a single finger at the models. "I said this before and now I'll say it again: your modeling absolutely sucks. There's no feeling behind it at all."

Akashi glowered. "Well then, my reply will be the same as last time's: what right do part-time models like yourself have to criticize our modeling?"

"Tch. I can't watch this anymore." Kagami strolled forward, loosening his tie as he did. "C'mon, Tatsuya, we'll show them how it's done instead."

"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" Akashi demanded.

"Like I said, showing you how real modeling is done." Kagami retorted. "Now would you move? You're in the way."

Midorima's eyes flashed angrily from behind his glasses. "How dare you-"

Akashi raised a hand. "Let them be, Shintaro." The redhead's voice was calm, but anyone could see the swirling anger in his mismatched eyes. "It's so terribly amusing to see amateurs like them try to show us up."

Kagami took a threatening step forward, only to be stopped by Himuro. "Don't, Taiga." Himuro put a restraining hand on his friend's shoulder. "They'll be taking back their words soon enough." he said, shooting a disdainful glare at Akashi.

"Heh, got that right." Kagami smirked. "Oi!" he suddenly called out to a male student near the front. "Pass me that basketball you got there, would you?"

"Me?" The male student looked startled to be called out so suddenly. Kagami nodded and raised a hand, gesturing for the basketball in the other's hands. "Sure, Kagami." The other student threw the basketball across the room to which Kagami caught easily.

"Thanks man." Kagami said. He turned back to his fellow model. "You ready, Tatsuya?"

"I was ready for this a long time ago." Himuro replied with a thin smile.

Kagami grinned widely. "Alright then. Ready...set, go!" At Kagami's signal, Himuro turned his chair so that the back of it was facing the audience. He sat with his legs on either side of the chair, crossed both of his arms along the top of the chair, and laid his head down on his arms as he shot a slight smile up at Kagami.

Kagami, on the other hand, chose to sit up on the desk. He perched casually on the wooden surface and was grinning down at Himuro as he balanced and spun the basketball on a single finger.

Akashi raised a single eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "Is that all? I thought that-"

"Tetsu!" Aomine's sudden exclamation interrupted Akashi in mid-thought. "What are you doing?"

Akashi turned to look at what Aomine was making such a big fuss about and his eyes widened at what he saw. Kuroko had turned his camera over to where Kagami and Himuro were posing and was snapping pictures away.

"_Tetsuya_." Akashi hissed, the betrayal evident in his voice. He was about to walk over to where the photographer was, but Riko stopped him.

"Kuroko-kun really is a true professional," she said softly as she watched Kuroko intently take one picture after another.

"And whatever do you mean by that, Riko?" Akashi said.

"He can't help but take pictures whenever something of interest grabs his attention." Riko explained. She shook her head. "And not that I can blame him this time around. I didn't expect Kagami-kun and Himuro-kun to be this good."

"Good? What's so good about them?" Akashi crossed his arms.

Riko smiled sadly, but chose to remain silent. _It seems that you still don't understand, Akashi-kun. And this is why Kagami-kun and Himuro-kun surpass you this time around._

"Honestly speaking, the Generation of Miracles are better when it comes to looks, but when Kagami-kun and Himuro-kun model, it just gives off a different feel." One student spoke up.

"I know what you mean." Another student agreed. "They really capture the feeling. Like, this look just fits them really well."

"It really looks like they're having a lot of fun modeling, doesn't it?" Someone else commented as Kagami and Himuro continued with one pose after another.

"Yeah, I didn't know that Kagami-kun and Himuro-kun were that good. But compared to them, the Generation of Miracles are kinda a letdown, huh?"

"I know...I'm a bit disappointed. Well, I guess we should head back to class now before we're late."

"Yeah, I don't think there's much more to see after this."

Aomine frowned when he saw the people leaving. "Wait, where the heck's everyone going?"

"Why is everyone leaving?" Akashi asked with his eyes narrowed. "We're not finished here yet."

"No, you _are_ done." Himuro said, walking up to him. "We already won this round, can't you even realize that?"

"I don't see how your modeling could be possibly better than ours." Midorima said.

"And that's why we're better than you." Kagami said. "You can't even see the answer when it's right in of you." He shouldered past Akashi. "Let's go, Tatsuya. This whole thing was a joke."

Before he left, Kagami stopped in front of a surprised Kise. "Hey, you weren't bad earlier," Kagami said to the blond. "At least one of you hasn't lost sight of what true modeling is."

Kise's eyes widened. "Kagamicchi..." _He noticed my modeling!_

Himuro gave a slight smile. "Taiga's right. Your earlier pose was pretty good, Kise-san. Keep up the good work." And without throwing a single glance back, Kagami and Himuro strolled out of the classroom.

Aomine clenched his fists. "That damn bastard. Just who does he think he is?"

"How dare they make a fool out of us?" Midorima pushed angrily up at his glasses.

"Mm...that wasn't very fun at all," Murasakibara said idly. He raised an eyebrow at the expression he saw on his leader's face. "Aka-chin?"

"Kagami Taiga. He dares to lecture me as if he were superior to _me_?" Akashi narrowed his eyes.

Kuroko, who was quietly disassembling his camera setup, spoke up now. "There's more to modeling than just looks or talent, Akashi-kun," he said quietly. "I hope you keep that in mind." He slung his camera bag across his shoulder and walked silently out the door.

Kise hesitated for a moment before he, too, finally said what was on his mind. "Kurokocchi's right, Akashicchi. Modeling isn't just about having talent anymore." He stopped as he was just about to walk out of the classroom and turned to smile wistfully. "Actually, it never was. We just never realized it."

And with those words, Kise followed Kuroko out, leaving behind a stunned Akashi and an equally speechless Generation of Miracles.

* * *

**A/N: **And the Generation of Miracles crash and burrrrn in this round. But wow, they really have some big egos, huh? Good thing we have Kagami and Himuro (and Kuroko behind the scenes) to knock them off their pedestals. I figured that Akashi, with that prideful nature of his, won't actually begin to understand until he is publically shown up in front of a crowd of people. Same with the rest of the GoM since they are all so arrogant and sure of their own abilities.

So with this, do you think the rest of the Generation of Miracles will finally start to understand? Man, how does Kuroko deal with such stubbornness? Well anyways, at least Kise was acknowledged by Kagami and Himuro! Poor Kise, I felt so bad for him when Akashi shut him down when he was trying to do his own thing.

Anyways, I suppose Round 2 goes out to Kagami and Himuro! What did you all think of this second encounter where even more insults, glares, and barely suppressed angers were exchanged? And it seems like the GoM and Kagami/ Himuro really, really despise each other now, huh? As always, please leave me with your thoughts! Thank you~

**-Bird of Dreams**


	8. Fall Album V - Back to School II

**A/N: **I'm so incredibly sorry for the delayed update. A new semester started for me and wow, everything just piled up from the beginning. Anyways, a few of you were concerned that I had dropped this story. I would like to just say that despite the long gap between updates, I have no plans whatsoever to abandon my fics. So rest assure, this story will continue! And with that, here's the long awaited chapter. I hope this longer chapter makes up for the wait!

And now to thank all my wonderful reviewers _Neellok, Titania-Falls, yin13147, FalteredGAIT, mikan27lover, Mia Heartnet, Lylia00, animebaka14, hitomi65, BrokenBlackCat, cancer718, OkamiAmmy-chan, ben4kevin, xDarkxKurokox, Pri-chan 1410, Don't smile, WaiiKitsune, shadowmarialove, hiwatari1708, Kuroshiroryuu, krystalanimeheart, topaz38c, spiel, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, Kurorinny, fan girl 666, Arazomia, Kuruizaki-hime, BlackCatAnimeGirl, TheReihani, Yuu3, Ayumu smile, Guest(1), foxare, xbluerainbowx, JennyPham7, SelfcreatedCharacter, Poosa-ard, hiyomi, InaMai, iKitsuNeko, Soul Vrazy, Rika-chi, 123ANIMEfun, kity132383, Kiyoumi, Guest(2), MilkTeaLord, fighterdreamer, , Pinkie241, w- easy enough, BookFanatic24, NeitherSaneNorInsane, Xana Vlec, Radiantpages, HiBirdSong, AnimeMangaFan321, Fujoshimon, ailleurs, _and _writerlover95. _I apologize for not being able to reply to all of you, but I wanted to get this chapter out to you as soon as possible!

**Summary:** Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 8: Fall Album V - Back to School II**

"Damn them!" Aomine slammed his fist into the nearby wall. "Who the hell do they think they are?"

"It was completely unacceptable," Midorima agreed with barely suppressed rage, "for them to show us up like that."

"And what's up with the way Kise acted?" Aomine demanded, still going on with his tirade. "Acting like he's on their side or something."

"It seems as if more than one person needs to have their loyalty tested," Midorima noted coolly, referring to a certain blue-haired photographer as well as Riko and Hyuuga, who had both left the classroom with Kise.

Akashi himself did not say a single thing throughout the entire time that Aomine and Midorima were ranting, but anybody could tell with a single glance just how displeased he was with the entire situation.

"I dunno." Murasakibara suddenly spoke up as he munched thoughtfully on a handful of crackers. "Do you think they might have a point?"

At this, Akashi scoffed. "Please, Atsushi. As if mere students can truly judge good modeling themselves. Most likely, they were just showing favoritism towards the two of them as fellow classmates."

Aomine was about to protest, saying how Kuroko, Kise, Riko, and Hyuuga wouldn't have been showing favoritism toward Kagami and Himuro over them, but one glance at Akashi's still livid eyes told him that it would be wise to keep his mouth shut.

"Okay, Aka-chin," Murasakibara said agreeably. "If you say so. But can we talk this over lunch? I'm getting hungry." He shook his now empty bag of crackers to emphasize his point.

For a moment, Aomine was sure that Akashi would snap at Murasakibara for his straightforwardness, but he was surprised when Akashi took a deep breath instead, as if to regain control over himself. Some of the anger thawed out from his eyes and a small wry smile settled on his lips. "I suppose you're right, Atsushi. There's no use discussing anything over an empty stomach."

"I saw the cafeteria over there earlier." Murasakibara said, bounding eagerly off to that direction. Aomine merely rolled his eyes. Trust Murasakibara to take the initiative only when food is involved.

The three members of the Generation of Miracles followed Murasakibara as he guided them down the hallway, then past a set of double doors that led into a bustling cafeteria teeming with rowdy students all hungry for food.

At the sight of the unruly crowd, Midorima wrinkled his nose. "You don't actually expect us to eat with _them_, do you?" He looked highly affronted at the thought of even entering the cafeteria.

Akashi has never one to take objections against his ideas well. "Unless you have a better idea, Shintaro, I suggest you bear with the current circumstances, less you wish to go hungry for the rest of the day."

That effectively shut Midorima up, but it still didn't stop him from throwing disdainful glares at the hordes of students around them. Aomine, too, braced himself as he stepped foot inside the cafeteria, expecting to be attacked by a crowd of fans as soon as they caught sight of them. To his immense surprise (and relief), none of the students spared even a single glance in their direction.

Most of the students, in fact, were gathered en masse around the serving counters. They all appeared to be yelling incomprehensible words at the lunch servers, shoving each other roughly out of the way as they all surged toward the front of the crowd. Curious, the Generation of Miracles went in for a closer look and it was only then that they finally realized what the students were screaming about.

"Give me four of those black Iberian pig sandwiches!"

"I want five...ouch! Iberian pig sandwiches, please!"

"Hey, out of my way, I was ordering first!"

"Ouch! You move, I was here first!"

"A black Iberi...aaah!"

"I would like to order! Hey, move!"

"Holy shit!" Aomine exclaimed as soon as he got over his shock. "What the hell is going on here?"

"I had no idea that high school students acted so...barbaric during lunch time." Midorima remarked derisively.

"I believe that," Akashi pointed toward a nearby sign. "Is the explanation you seek, Daiki." The others looked over to where Akashi had gestured. Near the front, a bright yellow sign screamed in attention-grabbing red letters: 'Today's Lunch Special: Black Iberian Pig Sandwiches 2800 yen each! A delectable sandwich with black Iberian pig cutlets, topped with caviar, foie gras, and truffles! Limited supply!'

"I don't get it," Aomine muttered. "All this for a sandwich? What's so good about it anyway?"

Before anyone else could answer, the four models heard a familiar voice call out, the loud voice discernible even in the midst of all the chaos. "Oi, Tatsuya! What day is today?" The Generation of Miracles were not surprised to see Kagami Taiga standing some ways away from them. His face was slack-jawed with surprise as he, too, stared incredulously at the still growing crowd.

"I believe that it's the 25th, Taiga," came Himuro's calm reply.

At Himuro's words, Kagami's eyes widened to impossible widths. "Shit!" he cursed suddenly and loudly. "I completely forgot! Tatsuya!" he shook his friend, who still looked as composed as ever. "Don't you know what today is?"

"A Tuesday?" Himuro stated, not really understanding Kagami's point.

"No! It's the only day of the month when the cafeteria sells those 'miracle' black Iberian pig sandwiches!" Kagami exclaimed. "And I forgot about it until now!" He pointed a shaking finger at the chaotic scene in front of him. "I almost forgot how crazy Japanese people can get over lunch," he muttered. "This..." he declared dramatically. "This is JAPANESE LUNCH TIME RUSH!"

Himuro smacked the redhead soundly round the head for that. "I already told you to stop doing that, Taiga."

"...My bad. I got a little excited over there."

"Well, with this, one thing is for sure," Akashi remarked wryly. "Never try to get in the way of a hungry teenager when they are after food."

"And you still expect us to eat lunch here after witnessing...this?" Midorima said with a huff.

Akashi merely raised one eyebrow. "Daiki?" He gestured toward the crowd.

Aomine sighed inwardly. He was afraid this was going to happen. "Alright, alright, I'm on it." He braced himself, about to charge headfirst into the crowd when all of a sudden, a hand came out of nowhere, grabbed the back of his shirt, and dragged him away from the cafeteria. "Hey!" he protested loudly. He saw that the other three were also being dragged away from the bustling cafeteria in a similar manner. The mysterious person ignored his protests as Aomine and his fellow models were dragged up a flight of stairs and past a heavy metal door. They were deposited only when they reached the secluded spot up in the school's rooftop.

"Okay, what gives?" Aomine demanded as he turned around to confront his 'kidnapper'.

Riko raised her eyebrows. "What gives? We just saved your butt out there! You should be thanking us!"

"Could you have tried rescuing us without resorting to such…crude tactics?" Midorima asked, dusting his jacket off.

"Sorry about that," Hyuuga, who had been Midorima's 'kidnapper', rubbed his head sheepishly. "We were told to get you out of there with any means possible."

"Yeah! I mean, public school cafeterias are pretty crazy, huh?" Kise's cheerful voice chirped in.

"Yes, the situation was proving to be quite hazardous," Kuroko spoke up from the side. "Also, we had already prepared lunch for you." He gestured toward the stack of bento boxes by his side.

"Ryouta!" The other four members of the Generation of Miracles looked surprised by their remaining member's appearance.

"And Tetsu?"

"Miss us?" Kise asked, shooting a bright smile and peace sign.

Aomine narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, grudge not yet forgotten. "Oh, so now you talk to us, huh?"

The smile faded from Kise's face. "I know you must be unhappy with me. But I meant what I said earlier, Aominecchi," he said quietly. "I don't take back anything."

Midorima narrowed his eyes. "Oh, do you really now? Since when have you been one to switch sides so quickly?"

Kise looked hurt by the accusation. "I would never betray the Generation of Miracles! It's just that-"

"Well, it sure didn't look that way, Ryouta," Akashi cut in.

"Really!" Kise insisted. "But it's just that this time around, I think that Kagamicchi and Himuroccchi were better because-"

"Oh, so you're good enough to give out advice all of a sudden?" Aomine demanded. "Just 'cuz you got acknowledged by them, you think you're better than us now, huh? And since when did you know so much about modeling?"

"Since I started actually caring about it!" Kise snapped back, unable to suppress his frustration at being unable to get through to his fellow models. A tense silence followed as Aomine and Kise glared balefully at each other.

"Lunch." Kuroko's quiet, but firm voice cut through the charged atmosphere like a knife. "Right now, it is time to eat. We can discuss this after eating." At Kuroko's prompting, the tense situation diffused slightly, enough for everyone to catch their breaths. Riko and Hyuuga sighed in relief and their shoulders relaxed slightly when they saw Kuroko begin to distribute the lunches.

"Sorry," Aomine muttered as he passed a bento box to Kise, "That was uncalled for."

"No, it was my fault for acting like a complete know-it-all," Kise said. Lunch proved to be a welcome distraction, but the tense atmosphere did not completely leave the rooftop yet. Everyone nibbled on their bentos in silence, unsure at how to broach the still-touchy subject at hand.

Akashi was the one who chose to take the plunge. "Tetsuya, do you truly mean what you said earlier about modeling not being just about talent?" His piercing eyes stared directly into Kuroko's own.

"Of course, Akashi-kun. I have said so before and now I will say it again: with enough hard work, anyone can be a model, but in order to be a truly top-rate model, you must be passionate about what you do. You have to be completely committed to it, to truly love modeling for what it is." Kuroko said with sincerity. "This innate passion for modeling is what differentiates a true model from a regular one and this really shows through in pictures."

A long silence followed Kuroko's words, but instead of immediately brushing off his words as they did last time, the Generation of Miracles silently mulled over what Kuroko had just said.

Aomine was loath to admit, but even he could see that Kuroko had a point. _But even so, how could you side with them over me, Tetsu? _he thought sullenly.

Something about Aomine's expression must have given away his thoughts because Kuroko said, "I did not choose Kagami-kun and Himuro-kun over you, Aomine-kun. But I like to think of myself as being an impartial judge when it comes to talent and Kagami-kun and Himuro-kun were undeniably better models this time around."

"So what do you want us to do, Tetsu?" Aomine said in frustration. "We won't know unless you tell us."

"If you deem that improvements are necessary, it would be beneficial to all of us if you were to point them out to us." Midorima said pointedly.

"Yes, I too am curious to hear your views, Tetsuya," Akashi said frankly.

Kuroko stared impassively at the Generation of Miracles, though a hint of sadness was visible in his soulful blue eyes. "Is it truly that difficult for all of you to just let go of yourselves and have fun with this?"

Aomine, as well as the rest of the Generation of Miracles, looked completely taken aback by this suggestion. "Have fun with this?" Akashi repeated incredulously. "Tetsuya, if you haven't noticed yet, this is an official photoshoot. There _is_ no time for fun and games. "

"And that way of thinking is what is holding you back," Kuroko said. "You keep treating this like a 'job', but have you ever stopped to give some thought as to what the theme of this photoshoot is? The theme this time around is 'Back to School', which focuses on the carefree and youthful nature of teenagers. My job as the photographer is to capture that high school spirit at its best."

Kuroko's words were met with a round of silence. "So do you mean to say, Kuro-chin, that we should act however we want?" Murasakibara said.

"Yes, exactly that. I understand that coming from the modeling industry, all of you were saddled with extra responsibilities and obligations, and as a result, you had to grow up faster than the average teenager," Kuroko said quietly. "But I want you to remember that none of us—none of you—are adults yet. In the end, we are all still teenagers at heart and I want you to embrace that side of you. You don't need to put a façade for me," Kuroko continued softly. "Don't try to be someone you are not. Just be yourself. That is all I ever ask for in any model."

"Be yourself? Easier said than done." Aomine muttered. He, and the rest of the models, looked more than a little lost at Kuroko's words. Watching this, Riko suppressed a sigh. She was so used to seeing the models act like the confident, arrogant people they were that seeing them look so unsure was definitely a first.

Kise looked from Kuroko to his fellow models and back before he decided to take matters into his own hands. "What? You don't even know how to have fun anymore, Aominecchi?" he began teasingly. "You've gotten old!"

Aomine scowled, rising up to Kise's bait. "Who do you think you're calling old? We're all the same age!"

"Nu-uh! Aominecchi has become old!" Kise said firmly. "Because if you haven't, then you would have able to easily stop me if I tried to do _this_!" With a triumphant yell, he reached over to Aomine's bento box and snatched up a piece of sushi with his chopsticks before Aomine could even comprehend what had happened.

"Wha-?" Aomine looked confused at first, but recovered quickly. "Damn you, Kise! Give me back my food, you little thief!"

"Nope! You were too slow so it's mine now!"

"It seems that the horoscope wasn't wrong when it says that Gemini are easily excitable people," Midorima said, as he pulled a horoscope magazine from seemingly out of nowhere.

Akashi watched this scene with an amused expression. "Atsushi, I don't ever want to see you acting this childish," he commented, though anyone who knew Akashi well could tell that he didn't really mean what he said.

"Okay, Aka-chin," Murasakibara said as he readily devoured his third bento.

Meanwhile, Aomine and Kise were still quarrelling over the piece of stolen sushi. Aomine was reaching toward Kise, but the blond was blocking his attempts with one hand while his other hand held the chopsticks and the sushi far out of reach.

"Kise, give that back now, or I swear I'll-" Aomine growled.

"Or what, Aominecchi?" Kise asked with a teasing smile.

Aomine narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you asked for it." Before Kise could react, Aomine whipped his chopsticks toward Kise's own bento box and swiped two pieces of sushi with a triumphant smirk.

"Waah! No fair, Aominecchi!" Kise cried.

Aomine merely smirked wider. "That's what you get for trying to get the best of me!"

_Click!_ The sudden flash of the camera caught everyone by surprise. Everyone immediately zeroed in on Kuroko, who held his camera in his hands.

"Hey, what gives?" Aomine exclaimed. "We weren't ready yet, Tetsu!"

"Why exactly are you taking candid photos of us, Tetsuya?" Akashi said.

"Because that was exactly what I wanted to see," Kuroko said as a small smile curved up his lips. "For the first time since this photoshoot started, I saw your true selves shine through."

"Our true selves?" Aomine echoed. He glanced down at Kise who threw him a slightly guilty smile. "Kise, you-"

Kise raised his hands in defense. "Well, Kurokocchi wanted to see our 'real' selves, so..."

"And you couldn't have given us some warning?"

"I was- waah! Why are you attacking me, Aominecchi? It was for the good- ahh! No, not my face! Anything but the face!"

"Daiki, don't strike Ryouta in the face. As a model, it would affect his standing if his face got damaged."

"...Akashicchi! You do care!"

"Instead, I suggest you aim for his more..._vulnerable_ parts instead. It would hurt more too, don't you agree?"

"Hey, why is everyone against me? This isn't revenge for before, is it? If so, I'm sorr- owch! Ahh! Help!"

"...Hey, Mido-chin, if you aren't going to eat it, can I have that piece of fatty tuna?"

"...Only if you give me that piece of sausage in exchange. And that pink napkin by your side. According to my horoscope, pink is supposed to be my lucky color today."

Riko and Hyuuga watched the chaotic scene in of them with amusement and did little to try to restrain their chuckles. Kuroko peeked out from behind his camera lens as another small smile rested, unbidden, on his lips. _Click!_

* * *

Seisen Academy, Classroom 3A was suffering from a normal, boring Tuesday afternoon when all of a sudden, the door to their classroom was forcefully kicked open. All the students in the room gasped collectively when they saw five familiar models stroll in.

Fujisaki-sensei, a stern, middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense attitude when it came to rule-breaking, approached the strangers who had dared to interrupt her math lesson with a tight-lipped frown. "Excuse me, _gentleman_, but as you can see, we are in the middle of a class right now and unless you want me to call the principal, you will kindly show yourselves out."

The blond stepped forward from the group. "We're so terribly sorry to interrupt you in the middle of your lesson," he said with an easy smile. Upon closer observation of the blond, Fujisaki-sensei was surprised to see that he was incredibly handsome. She felt a low flush rise to her cheeks.

"If you didn't know," the blond continued with the same charming smile. "My friends here and I are models and this school was assigned to be the site of our photoshoot."

"I-Is that so?" Fujisaki-sensei stuttered.

"Yes, and being students ourselves, we understand that education and learning are very important to one's future, Ms..."

"It's F-Fujisaki," the blushing teacher managed to stammer out.

"Fujisaki-sensei!" The blond's smile widened to devastatingly blinding proportions. "A beautiful name to match a beautiful teacher." From behind, Aomine tried hard not to gag at Kise's cheesy lines. "I do hope that you will forgive us for interrupting, but we are here to show, and well, essentially teach your students a valuable lesson that they won't be forgetting anytime soon." At these words, he shot a challenging glance at Kagami and Himuro, who had straightened up as soon as they saw the Generation of Miracles walk into their classroom.

Kise turned back to Fujisaki-sensei and sealed the deal with a winning smile and wink. "So with your permission, I hope that we can start our demonstration now."

Fujisaki-sensei was all but a puddle now. "Of course," she agreed more than readily. "Whatever you want!"

As the Generation of Miracles walked past the desks of awestruck students, Midorima remarked snidely in an undertone, "Well, aren't you the ladies' man?"

"Trust Kise to work the charm even on an older woman," Aomine smirked.

"I did what had to be done!" Kise protested.

"Whatever you say..."

The Generation of Miracles, led by Akashi up front, stopped when they reached Kagami and Himuro's desks.

"What are you doing here?" Kagami demanded.

"Didn't you hear what Ryouta said earlier?" Akashi said coolly. "We are here to teach you all, and especially the two of you, an important lesson."

"And what would that be?" Himuro shot back.

Akashi raised his chin defiantly, looking every part the confident and fearless leader he was. "Don't _ever_ underestimate the Generation of Miracles!"

At Akashi's bold declaration, excited whispers broke out amongst the other students. "Does this mean we're going to watch a rematch between the Generation of Miracles and Kagami-kun and Himuro-kun?"

"This is so exciting!"

"But the Generation of Miracles fell short last time, didn't they? What if they fail again this time?"

"Give them a chance!" Riko suddenly interjected sharply. She folded her arms across her chest when everyone turned to stare at her. "What? You shouldn't judge before you see anything!"

"Alright then, show us how much you improved in this short period of time. That is, if you've improved at all." Kagami leveled Aomine with a challenging stare.

Aomine met the challenge head-on with his own glare. "We'll show you alright. Prepare yourselves."

Akashi turned toward a group of girls who were staring up at him with starstruck eyes. "Excuse me, but if you don't mind lending us these desks for a short-"

"Yes!" The girls squealed loudly and left their desks before Akashi could even finish his sentence.

The Generation of Miracles settled into the now emptied desks. "Alright then," Akashi looked towards Kuroko. "Are you ready over there?" Kuroko nodded and raised his camera in confirmation. "Ryouta? Daiki? Shintaro? Atsushi?" Each member of the Generation of Miracles nodded as Akashi called out their name. "We're ready to go then."

Before they started, Aomine threw a side glance back at Kuroko. Despite Aomine's calm demeanor, Kuroko recognized the brief flash of hesitation in his eyes. Kuroko gave him a small nod. _You can do it. I believe in you._

The small nod seemed to empower Aomine and a small smirk appeared on his lips. "What are we waiting for? Let's get started already, Akashi."

"Patience, Daiki." Akashi said, but a small smirk curved up his mouth all the same. "Very well, we shall begin in 3...2...1..."

As soon as Akashi finished counting down, each of the Generation of Miracles whipped out a practice workbook that they had prepared before. Kise glanced down at a problem, bit his lip, then proceeded to prod Midorima with his pencil. "Ne, ne, Midorimacchi, can you help me with this problem?"

Midorima lowered his own pencil with an exasperated sigh. "No," he said flatly. "Can't you see I'm busy with my own things?"

"Looking at your horoscope stuff doesn't count!" Kise said. "Now c'mon, I'm almost done with this page!"

Aomine snorted by Kise's side. "Don't bother others with your stupid questions, Kise."

Kise whirled around with an indignant expression. "But you're not even trying, Aominecchi!" He was referring to how Aomine currently sat completely at ease on his chair, with his hands tucked behind his head and his long legs propped up on the desk in front of him.

"Nope," Aomine drawled off-handedly, as he reached into his pockets to pull out a pair of earphones.

"So you don't know how to do it either, Aominecchi!" Kise said triumphantly.

"Would the two of you quiet down?" Midorima hissed, gesturing to the tiny radio set he had somehow managed to set up. "I'm trying to listen to the horoscope here!"

"Are the three of you still not finished?" Akashi asked. He raised a dubious eyebrow at the blank workbooks he saw. "Really now, these are all just basic calculations."

"You don't need to rub it in, Akashicchi!" Kise pulled a kicked puppy expression.

"Aka-chin's just naturally smart like that." Murasakibara nodded as he munched on several sticks of pocky from a box he pulled out.

Akashi gave a wry smile. "Well, you never know until you try, Atsushi."

Murasakibara nodded absentmindedly. "I'll trust what Aka-chin says then. Want a pocky?"

"Hey, I want one too, Murasakibaracchi!" Kise exclaimed.

As the Generation of Miracles interacted naturally with one another, Kuroko snapped picture after another.

"Aren't there interactions absolutely adorable?" a female student all but gushed.

"They react so naturally to each other!" another said. "I never thought I would see this side to the Generation of Miracles."

"It's really refreshing to see them act like this. I mean, it kinda makes them a lot more approachable than before, right?"

"Yeah, that's true!"

Kagami grudgingly admitted that there was a large improvement from what he saw last time. This time around, all their smiles, expressions, and gestures were completely genuine and completely _them_, and that lent the added dimension that the Generation of Miracles were previously so lacking in their modeling before.

"Let's admit this, Taiga," Himuro's soft voice spoke up from beside him. He gestured to the cheers and laughter of their fellow classmates. "This round goes to them."

Kagami made a dissatisfied 'tsk'-ing sound before he turned to look at Kuroko, who was completely focused on his task at hand. "That Kuroko really is a miracle worker, huh."

Himuro gave a thin smile. "That certainly goes without saying."

Riko and Hyuuga were silently observing the photoshoot from the side. "Well, it's far from being perfect, but I'd say that it's a big step forward considering it's them we're talking about." Riko noted.

Hyuuga nodded. "This whole thing actually turned out to be a pretty good experience."

Riko nodded in agreement. An unfamiliar sense of pride welled up in Riko's chest as she watched the photoshoot commence. _You've done well, Kuroko-kun. You've done really well._

* * *

As the photoshoot wrapped up and the school day finally came to an end, Kuroko, alone, approached a curious Kagami and Himuro as the Generation of Miracles were busy gathering their things in order.

"Hey, if it isn't Kuroko!" Kagami grinned. "So what's up?"

"Is there something we can help you with, Kuroko-san?" Himuro asked politely.

The two part-time models were shocked when the blue-haired photographer suddenly bowed low in front of them. "I would like to thank you for all of your patience in dealing with this photoshoot." Kuroko said. "You weren't originally scheduled to do this, yet somehow you still got rounded up into this whole mess."

Himuro shook his head. "Oh no. It was our pleasure, Kuroko-san."

"Yeah, we were glad to do it!" Kagami grinned widely. "Besides, gave me the chance to wipe the floor with those arrogant Generation of Miracles."

"Taiga!" Himuro chastised.

"It's quite alright, Himuro-san." Kuroko said. "The reason why the Generation of Miracles were able to exhibit some of their underlying potential at the end was mostly due to their fiercely competitive streak with you. So I must thank you for bringing that out from them."

"Like I said earlier, the pleasure was all ours," Himuro said.

"I still need to express my thanks to you though." Kuroko reached into his bag and pulled out a CD. "Please accept this as a small token of my appreciation."

Kagami accepted the CD with a puzzled look. "These are?"

"Enclosed on that CD are the pictures that I took of the two of you when you had your impromptu photoshoot," Kuroko explained. "I do apologize for taking your pictures without your permission, but-"

"Pictures of us?" Kagami turned a bewildered face to Kuroko. "That you took?"

Kuroko nodded. "Yes. As I was explaining-"

"Awesome!" Kagami exclaimed. "Hey, Tatsuya, we had our pictures taken! By _Kuro_! The one and only Kuro took pictures of our modeling!"

Himuro sighed. "Yes, Taiga, I heard you quite clearly in the first place." He turned back to Kuroko with a smile. "I can't thank you enough for the pictures, Kuroko-san. I have no doubt that the pictures look amazing."

"Hey," Kagami's voice suddenly turned uncharacteristically serious. "Why don't you come be our photographer instead, Kuroko? I'm being completely serious here. You're just wasting your time with the Generation of Miracles."

Kuroko gave a slight smile. "As much fun as it was being your photographer for that brief period of time and as much as I would like to witness your continued growth, I would still have to politely decline your offer, Kagami-kun. You see, there's still a job that I have to do."

"I understand completely, Kuroko-san," Himuro said.

"Fine, you don't have to say anymore," Kagami grumbled. "Even I understand. But man, I don't know how you deal with those stubborn idiots."

"Says the stubborn idiot himself," Himuro chided lightly. "But I do wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, Kuroko-san. Please feel free to call upon us again if you ever require our assistance."

"Thank you very much." Kuroko bowed. "I will keep that in mind."

"Yeah, well, if anyone, it's you who can get through those thick skulls of theirs." Kagami said, crossing his arms.

Kuroko bowed again. "I thank you for your confidence in me. I will try my best not to disappoint you."

"Well, until we meet again, then Kuroko-san." Himuro said.

"Yes, until then."

* * *

Later back at the office of Teikou Modeling Agency, Riko confronted Kuroko directly when she marched into his workspace with a knowing look in her eyes. "Good job planning this whole thing out, Kuroko-kun."

Kuroko blinked innocently. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Riko-san."

"Of course you don't." Riko grinned cheekily. "Don't think I didn't see those files from Seisen Academy on your desk earlier. Who would have thought that innocent little Kuroko-kun was actually such a sly schemer?"

Kuroko had his expression schooled in his perfected poker face. "Were they? I didn't even notice."

Riko shook her head. "You purposefully chose the same school that Kagami and Himuro attended, knowing fully well that an encounter between them and the Generation of Miracles would lead to an inevitable confrontation. Then you took advantage of that confrontation and used Kagami and Himuro to teach Akashi-kun and the others a lesson they won't be forgetting anytime soon. Am I correct, or am I correct, Kuroko-kun?"

Kuroko cocked his head. "I honestly have no idea what you are talking about, Riko-san."

Riko just shook her head again. "You may be good, Kuroko-kun, but you're not good enough to hide it from me!" She smirked smugly as she headed for the door. "But still, good job this time around, Kuroko-kun. I really believe that they have started to understand a little more after this encounter." She wagged a playful finger at him. "That doesn't mean you can slack off though, okay? There's still a lot of work to be done after all!" And with that, Riko left almost as suddenly as she had appeared.

Kuroko looked at #2, who cocked its head and stared back at its master. Kuroko blinked, before a small smirk settled on his lips. "Well, it was as Hyuuga-kun said. The whole thing turned out to be a good experience after all."

* * *

**A/N: ** Wahaha, Kuroko you little schemer! Scheming!Kuroko was so fun to write, as was fanboy!Kagami and wooing!Kise. And to those of you who got the "THIS IS JAPANESE LUNCH TIME RUSH!" reference, kudos to you. Haha, I really couldn't help myself, considering how big it was in the anime. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, look up episode 6 of the KuroBasu anime. I guarantee that you'll crack up laughing as hard as I did.

Anyways, please note that at this point in time, the GoM have only begun to acknowledge that they do need to change their way of modeling. This does not mean that they have completely recovered their passion for modeling—no, far from it. It is only now have they come to the realization that something is wrong with their modeling, so with the exception of Kise, they have not yet found the 'answer' to their overcoming their weakness. Just wanted to clarify this for those of you who might feel that the story is moving too fast.

Well, that wraps up photoshoot #2: Back to School. So how did you all like it? Please leave me with your thoughts, comments, and/or questions! Thank you!

**-Bird of Dreams**


	9. Fall Album VI - Unexpected Regression

**A/N: ** Hello everyone! I'm finally back with a new chapter! (dodges thrown food) Yes, yes, I'm well aware that this is long overdue and I sincerely apologize for that. I can only pull out the 'school kept me really busy' excuse again and I know it's getting old, but I hope you can all forgive me nonetheless. As an apology, I offer you this new chapter and a fresh batch of Internet cookies?

I can't thank my reviewers enough for all their amazing support: _mikan27lover, -falls, ben4kevin, animebaka14, cancer718, animefan106, Pri-chan 1410, Starian NightZz, topaz38, PokerPair, saphire644, hitomi65, BlackCatAnimeGirl, FangXavier, Esperanz, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, JennyPham7, OkamiAmmy-chan, Kuruizaki-hime, PurpleSong, Peridot15, BrokenBlackCat, Guest, fan girl 666, Yuu3, WaiiKitsune, Takara yume, InaMai, animelver14, pinkus-pyon,AngelDono, May Eve, MintLeafeon, Shiro, Fanfic Lover, TheReihani, Ayumu smile, SelfcreatedCharacter, iKitsuNeko, Bianca Rivera, kity132383, kirito kuran, Uchizaki, SeCreT YaOi AdMIreR, thisgirldanielle, Eevee1118, Hae Lee, ConfusionRunsRampant, Mafia-sama, RenjiRulez5986, EpikalStorms, srhinkingscore105, BeautifulLotus, Hibari Akashi,_ and _Koshuu._

**Summary:** Modeling AU- Everyone in the modeling industry has heard of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five young models who quickly rose to stardom. But when a new project forces its members to confront their weakness, the GoM will have to face its greatest challenge yet. Could the mysterious new photographer Kuroko be the answer to their problems?

**Disclaimer:** All the awesome characters of Kuroko no Basket belong to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I do not own or claim to own anything.

* * *

**Generation of Models**

**Chapter 9: Fall Album VI - Unexpected Regression**

Aomine gave a dissatisfied 'tch' as he shifted through the pile of pictures for the umpteenth time. He still didn't get it. He frowned as he looked at the photos from their first attempt at the school photoshoot, then to the ones from their second do-over in Kagami and Himuro's classroom. Just what was so different about the second pictures that made them so much _better_ in Kuroko's eyes? He definitely didn't see it.

"Aomine-kun?"

The model whipped his head up from the photos almost guiltily. _Oh yeah..._ he recalled too late. He didn't exactly have permission to be in here, especially since it was _Kuroko's desk_ he was shifting through to find the pictures from their most recent photoshoot.

"Hey, Tetsu..." he looked up to awkwardly meet the eyes of the very person's desk he was looking through.

If Kuroko was surprised to see Aomine in his office, he didn't show it. "Ah, Aomine-kun. I thought you had a photoshoot this afternoon?"

"It ended earlier than I thought so I had some time on my hands." Aomine replied. Kuroko seemed to debate over something for a moment. _Oh shit..._ Aomine gulped visibly. _This is where he blows his top because I went through his stuff without permission._ Aomine had been on the receiving end of one of Kuroko's rare bouts of anger back when they went to school together and all he can say is, it did not end pretty.

"Aomine-kun..."

"Look Tetsu, I'm sorry I went through your stuff without asking you," Aomine blurted out, cutting the other off.

"It's fine," Kuroko said. "But I was wondering if you would like to accompany me on a photography walk?"

"...and I'll buy you one of those vanilla shakes you like so much to make it up to you, I promise!" Aomine was so caught up in his own rambling that he realized only then that Kuroko hadn't blown up at him as he expected him to. "Huh? Wait, did you say you're okay with it?"

Kuroko looked faintly amused. "Yes, Aomine-kun. I am fine with the fact that you wanted to look at the pictures, though I would have appreciated it if you notified me in advance."

"Okay..." Aomine was still in disbelief that he got off so easily. "And did you say something 'bout a photography walk or something?"

"Yes, a photography walk." Kuroko repeated, though he didn't elaborate on what he meant. "I was just about to embark on one after grabbing some film from my desk."

Aomine shrugged. "Yeah, sure, why not?" It wasn't as if he had anything better to do in the afternoon. And this was a good opportunity for him to ask Kuroko to explain himself better about the school photoshoot pictures.

Kuroko gave a slight smile. "Thank you. I was hoping to spend some time with you, Aomine-kun."

"Yeah, same here," Aomine said as Kuroko grabbed his roll of film and the two stepped out of the office. "I actually have some things I need to ask you."

"Really? Please ask away then."

Aomine shoved his hands into his pockets and trailed behind Kuroko at a leisurely pace. "It's just... I still don't really get what you meant during our last photoshoot," he said. "You said that Kagami and Himuro's poses and our second attempt was much better than our first, but I don't see why...whoa!" Aomine had to physically stop himself to avoid crashing into Kuroko, who suddenly came to a stop in front of him.

The model watched curiously as Kuroko raised the camera to his eyes to snap a picture of a small flower bud blooming near a garbage can. "Yes? I'm listening, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said as he lowered his camera and resumed walking.

Aomine exhaled noisily and continued. "Yeah, but I don't really see the difference between the two. I mean I went back to look at the pictures again and I guess our poses were more natural the second time around, but I still don't get what you meant when you said...gah!"

Kuroko had stopped once again, this time to take a picture of a set of decrepit apartment buildings. "Geez, you gotta stop stopping like that, Tetsu! What are you doing anyways?"

"This _is_ a photography walk, Aomine-kun," Kuroko said. "And I think I understand what you are trying to ask." He stopped to look Aomine in the eyes. "But you have actually already answered your own question with your observation about the pictures earlier."

Aomine frowned for a moment before the answer came to him. "What? You mean just 'cuz the poses looked more _natural_? C'mon, it can't be as simple as that."

"I meant what I said back at the school photoshoot when I told you all that I don't want you to try to be someone you're not," Kuroko said. "All I want is for my models to be themselves, to express their own selves without feeling as if they have to mold themselves into different people."

Aomine still looked dubious. "Yeah, but..."

"Because you were not forcing yourselves in the second attempt," Kuroko interrupted. "Your inner passion for modeling—your inner light—was allowed to shine through. I know you do enjoy modeling, Aomine-kun. I can see it in the way you express yourself in the photoshoots. If you treated modeling solely as a job, you would not have been able to pose the way you did because natural beauty always shines the brightest."

"Alright, I guess I sorta understand your point, but I just can't see what you mean by 'natural beauty'," Aomine said. "How is that better than anything else?"

"Here," Kuroko handed his camera to Aomine. "Please take a look at the pictures I just took."

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you about that too. A flower and old apartment buildings? What were you thinking, Tetsu?"

"Please just look at the pictures."

Aomine sighed before doing as he was told. He clicked on the camera and looked at the first photo, a pale pink flower bud with its petals just barely beginning to open. The bud was blooming in front of a grubby, old trash can and was surrounded by ashy black dirt. But instead of taking away from the overall picture, the dusky, darker background seemed to highlight the innocence of the fragile flower bud—looking at the contrast between the soft bud and its darker surroundings, Aomine felt a sort of sentimental feeling wash over him. Even without words, the picture itself clearly depicted the feeling of new life. Of growth.

The second picture was the same. At first glance, it seemed to be nothing spectacular—it was just a set of worn-down, dilapidated apartment buildings set against a backdrop of the setting sun. But Kuroko had somehow captured it at an angle that softened the harsh corners of the buildings with the fading rays of the red-orange sun, giving the buildings a poignant, wistful feeling instead of the dull, shabby one they would usually be described as. Again, the contrast was striking and it stirred up in Aomine a yearning of new opportunities. Of hope.

"In my pictures, I strive not only to photograph the subject, but also to emphasize the natural beauty within," Kuroko explained. "I want my pictures to be able to evoke different feelings in people when they look at them and I found that the best way to do so is through capturing things in their most natural state."

"Wow, Tetsu, these are..." Aomine breathed. "Just wow."

"You can look at more of the pictures on that camera," Kuroko continued. "That roll of film contains pictures from all of my photography walks."

Aomine did as he was told and clicked back to view some of the older pictures. Dewdrops shining on a leaf. A wall of delicately curling ivy. Wind billowing through a field. A set of wind chimes hanging from a tree. Aomine was surprised to see that he recognized some of the pictures—he had seen them before in several of Kuro's more famous photobooks.

"I think I see what you mean now." Aomine said after looking through the pictures for several minutes.

"Do you really?"

"Yeah." Aomine said, looking up from the pictures. An odd sort of expression crossed his face and a small furrow creased his forehead. "But you know, it's not as easy as you think, Tetsu."

"Not easy?" Kuroko echoed. "Not easy to express yourself how you want? Why would you say that?"

"Look, Tetsu," Aomine sighed. "Modeling is..."

"Modeling is all about being comfortable of expressing who you are," Kuroko interrupted. "So I apologize when I say that do not understand what you mean when you say that it is difficult to do so. I can see it in your modeling, Aomine-kun. You haven't lost your passion for it. The same goes for the rest of the Generation of Miracles." He frowned. "But you all feel as if you have to try to be someone else, as if you have some sort of established appearance to uphold. Even Kise-kun who so obviously loved modeling felt as if he had to be someone he was not."

Kuroko paused for a moment in his lecture before asking, "What happened to make all of you become like this, Aomine-kun?"

Aomine looked away, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he did. "It's nothing."

"Aomine-kun..."

"Look," Aomine's eyes bore into Kuroko's own. "Modeling's not all fun and games alright? You can go around talking about your passion and about acting natural and stuff, but that's a very idealistic point of view. We live in a very competitive world after all," he gave a sardonic smile. "We just didn't realize it until it was too late."

"You forget that I have been a photographer for models for a long time now," Kuroko said. "Probably even longer than you have been modeling. So contrary to what you may believe, Aomine-kun, I have seen all the ins and outs of the modeling world."

"At least you haven't been exposed to the darker sides..." Aomine muttered ominously.

Kuroko was about to reply, but he was interrupted by a soft, timid voice. "E-excuse me, but you are Aomine Daiki-san, right?"

The two turned around to see a fairly short teenager with light brown hair and big, innocent brown eyes staring nervously up at Aomine. "I-I'm sorry for interrupting but my name is Sakurai Ryou and I'm a model from Touou Agency."

Aomine and Kuroko exchanged looks. "Sakurai, huh?" Aomine said. "Haven't heard of you before."

"I'm a fairly new model so my name isn't that well known yet," Sakurai replied timidly. "I'm sorry!"

Aomine quirked an eyebrow. "What for?"

"I shouldn't have approached Aomine-senpai with my worthless self!" Sakurai exclaimed, bowing quickly. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But I couldn't stop myself because I admire Aomine-senpai too much."

"Whoa, hey, calm down." Aomine said, taken aback by the fervent apologies. "And wait, did you just say that you _admired_ me?"

"Yes," Sakurai admitted shyly. "I have always admired Aomine-senpai the most out of all the Generation of Miracles. Even though you're different from the rest of them because of your darker-colored skin, you're still so confident and so sure of yourself...it's...it's really inspiring to someone like me."

Sakurai averted his eyes downward and continued. "Ever since I was little I was made fun of because of my short height and my feminine features," He looked up, a spark of determination entering his eyes. "But after I saw Aomine-senpai's modeling, I realized that you can still be successful even if you're different. So I became a model in order to prove to myself and everyone else that anyone can be anything they want to be, as long as they are confident and comfortable with their own selves."

"A-and that's why I really admire Aomine-senpai. It's because you inspired me and helped me to become who I am today." Sakurai bit at his lip nervously as he finished. It seemed as if his brief moment of bravery left him as soon as he finished and he quickly resorted back to his usual mannerisms. "I'm sorry for bothering you with my insignificant story!"

Kuroko discreetly nudged Aomine, prompting him to say something. Aomine blinked and seemed to snap out of his shock. "I...uh...that was a brave choice you made," Aomine finally said. "You can probably make it far if you keep up that type of determination," he mumbled gruffly, not used to giving advice to someone else.

Sakurai didn't seem to notice the awkwardness behind Aomine's words. His eyes shone with admiration and respect. "Do you really think so? Thank you so much, Aomine-senpai!" And with one final bow, he ran off, a noticeable skip in his step.

Aomine stared after Sakurai, still obviously bewildered by what had just occurred.

"See, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko spoke up. "The modeling world isn't as bleak as you may believe it to be. Your modeling has the power to reach out and touch many people. It all depends on how you choose to do it."

Aomine shook his head, an incredulous expression on his face. "I don't know how you do it, but you got me, Tetsu. Alright, I'll try to keep that in mind." A pause. Then, "Thanks."

Kuroko smiled. He didn't need to ask what it was for. "You're very welcome, Aomine-kun."

A small teasing smile crept up Aomine's face. "C'mon, I'll treat you to one of those vanilla milkshakes you like so much."

"Aomine-kun is just saying that because he wants to order some fries," Kuroko deadpanned.

"Oi! Don't get cheeky on me now. I can take that offer back you know?"

"Then I sincerely apologize, Aomine-sama."

Aomine hooked an arm around Kuroko's neck and ruffled his hair. "That's not much better and you know it."

Kuroko turned away to hide his own smile. Things were finally starting to look up.

* * *

"You should not eat so much of that food, Aomine-kun," Kuroko chastised as he watched his friend scarf down a burger and a side of fries. "Fast food is not healthy for you."

"Hey, this is my first burger in a long time!" Aomine protested through a mouthful of food.

"Of course..."

Aomine quickly swallowed and was about to retort, but someone else beat him to the punch.

"Well, well, if it isn't my old friend, Daiki-kun?"

Both Aomine and Kuroko turned around at the sound of the new voice. At the sight of the sharp-eyed, black-haired teenager who stood by their table, Aomine's face immediately blackened like storm clouds.

"_Haizaki_," he hissed. Though Kuroko didn't show it, he was shocked by the genuine _hatred_ he heard in Aomine's voice. "You sure got guts showing your damn face in front of me after what happened last time."

Kuroko had heard of this Haizaki Shougo character before. He was a moderately successful model who had ties to the Fukuda Sogo Agency. Kuroko himself had never personally worked with any of the models of Fukuda Sogo, mainly because he had heard less than pleasant things about them and their reputation. And if the hostile way Aomine was acting toward Haizaki was any indication of Haizaki's true nature, then Kuroko was mistrustful of him already.

_He certainly does seem like the unsavory type_, Kuroko thought, as he noted the ruthless light in his eyes, his delinquent-like hairstyle, the devious smirk, and the cocky way he held himself.

"Aw, you wound me, Daiki-kun," Haizaki said. "Can't I even come and greet an old friend?"

"You're no friend of mine and you know it, you lowlife bastard," Aomine growled. "Now get the fuck out of my face before I make you."

A calculating smirk appeared on Haizaki's face. "Oh, but you wouldn't dare. Not in front of so many witnesses anyways. And I must say, you're making quite the spectacle of yourself."

At Haizaki's words, Aomine allowed himself a quick glance around the restaurant. His eyes met with those of several bystanders who all looked interested by the scene they were creating. If possible, their curious stares only seemed to fuel Aomine's anger even more. His hands clenched into tight fists by his sides where they shook violently, as if it took every ounce of his willpower to keep them there.

"Aomine-kun..." Kuroko's softly spoken words slipped through the red haze of anger that had settled over him and helped Aomine slip back to some semblance of his normal self.

"Sorry, Tetsu." Aomine muttered lowly, attempting to rein in his anger. "This place is making me sick. Let's get out of here." He grabbed onto Kuroko's arm and was about to lead him out of the restaurant when Haizaki suddenly seemed to take notice of Kuroko.

"Ehh? And who do we have here?" He reached a hand out toward Kuroko.

"Don't you dare touch Tetsu!" Aomine immediately growled, pulling Kuroko behind his back protectively. Though he didn't show it, Kuroko was completely taken by surprise at how defensive Aomine was acting.

"Oohh. Looks like someone's overly protective..." Haizaki chuckled.

"I swear, Haizaki, if you so much as touch one hair on Tetsu's head, I will fucking _kill_ you," Aomine seethed, still keeping a tight hold on Kuroko.

"I don't understand why you're acting so mean to me, Aomine. All I wanted to do was to say hi." Haizaki simpered. "But I understand your concern completely." A predatory gleam entered his eyes. "I mean, we wouldn't want any 'accidents' to happen to your little friend here, would we? Especially if they are anything like that last incident with..."

It was as if those words had triggered some sort of berserk button in Aomine—the tall model suddenly lunged toward Haizaki like a wild beast, rage and hate written clearly in his eyes. Aomine pulled back a fist, ready to smack the smirk off of Haizaki's face when a single exclamation made him freeze in his tracks.

"Aomine-kun!"

Aomine turned around, fist still poised to attack, to look back at the one who had called out to him. His eyes widened when he realized who it was. "Tetsu..."

Kuroko, normally so soft-spoken, had actually raised his voice. Kuroko was now looking at him with a mixture of worry, distress, and even the slightest hint of uneasiness.

"Don't, Aomine-kun." His words were soft, beseeching. "It's not worth it."

Aomine slowly lowered his fist, but not before throwing one last death glare at the smirking Haizaki. "If you value your life, don't you _ever_ bring up that incident again." Aomine hissed into his face. He whirled around and stormed out the restaurant without another word.

Kuroko followed the tall model as he walked briskly down the block. Kuroko could still sense the tension and anger emanating from Aomine's back and if his clenched hands were of any indication, he was still fuming from the previous encounter.

"Are you okay, Aomine-kun?" The other merely grunted in reply.

Another pause. "What happened back there?" Kuroko asked. "You're not usually one to react so strongly to another person's words."

Aomine stopped in the middle of the road as past images suddenly flooded past his mind.

_"Get your filthy hands off of them, you bastard!"_

_"Now now, if you try to hurt me, Daiki-kun, your modeling career is over. There are tons of witnesses around. Don't think you can get away with it without harming your reputation."_

_"Don't, Dai-chan!"_

_"Don't act rashly, Aomine-kun. We'll figure out some way to get out of this."_

_"Your horoscope did warn me that you were the detestable sort of character, but to think that you would sink this low. Despicable."_

_"I won't forgive you if you hurt them, Zaki-chin." _

_An eerie chuckle. "Empty words. You lot can't do anything to me right now."_

_"Damn you, bastard!"_

_"Calm yourself, Daiki. Traitors will be dealt with accordingly. You shall be punished for your blatant defiance of my rules, Shougo." _

_"Your threats don't scare me, Akashi-kun. I know that you can't do anything to me right now. At least, not when I have these two here." A triumphant leer. "So, what will you do now, Daiki-kun?" _

Aomine clenched his fists tighter, stemming the flow of thoughts. "Nothing," he said shortly. "It's nothing."

Kuroko knew that there was much more to the story than what Aomine was saying. But Kuroko also knew that he shouldn't push Aomine to tell him unless he felt ready to share it himself.

"You know what I realized today, Tetsu?" Aomine's sudden words surprised him.

"What is it?"

"That I was right all along," Aomine said darkly. "The encounter earlier helped me open my eyes again. Everyone in the modeling world only thinks of themselves and will think nothing of stepping on other people in order to get to the top."

And now, watching Aomine's retreating back, Kuroko felt as if he had just taken a step forward in breaking through to Aomine, only for him to take several steps back after the recent run-in with Haizaki.

Kuroko frowned. Just what in the world happened between Aomine and Haizaki in the past?

* * *

**A/N: ** And the plot thickens! (dramatic music) Poor Kuroko, he finally managed to get through to Aomine only for all his progress to be undone by Haizaki. Some of you were asking when some other characters will be making their appearances so there you have it! Doesn't Haizaki's appearance make you curious about what happened between him and the GoM in the past?

And if any of you were wondering, Sakurai calls Aomine 'senpai' because he is his senpai in the modeling world. And Sakurai is such a cutie. I just couldn't resist sticking him in.

Also, shameless advertising, but my new KuroBasu short story, _Miracle Drivers_, is up! Here's the summary: The world had better watch out because the Generation of Miracles are finally experiencing what all young teenagers go through: drivers ed. One thing's for sure: the road will never be the same again. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

Well, that's all for now, folks. I hope you liked this update. Please let me know of any thoughts, opinions, and/or questions you may have. Thanks!

**-Bird of Dreams**


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